Investigation of the Potential Health Hazards of Petrol Station Attendants in Owerri Nigeria

Abstract

Possible biochemical changes in hepatic and renal functions due to exposure of petrol vapour were assessed in twenty (20) petrol station attendants in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. A corresponding twenty healthy subjects who were not exposed to petrol or its vapour were used as controls. The results showed a significant increase in the (p<0.05) activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine and aspartate aminotransferases for those exposed to petrol vapour from 6-10 years while the plasma bilirubin concentrations showed no significant change (p<0.05). Concentrations of serum urea, creatinine and urinary protein for those exposed to petrol vapour from 6-10 years were also significantly higher (p<0.05) when compared with the control. The results therefore indicate that exposure to petrol vapour increases the activities of some serum diagnostic liver enzymes and may also affect renal function indices. These effects, as seen from the study, are directly related to the duration of exposure and should be of interest to economic and environmental policy makers in Nigeria. @JASEM

Sonographic assessment of petroleum-induced hepatotoxicity in Nigerians: does biochemical assessment underestimate liver damage?

“…This work, as with other works 2,5 , also showed that the longer the subjects were exposed to the products, the more the effects on liver and more the severity ofthese effects. The findings of this study showed that there was increased prevalence of steatosis as well as the severity, as the exposure duration increased.…”

“…The exposure to petroleum products in Nigeria has many dimensions given the poverty pervading in the country that make people take jobs that expose them unduely to petroleum toxicants, stark ignorance of the exposed population and even majority of the health workers, the lack of occupational health laws and the inability to implement few existing industrial effluent regulations due to corruption. It has been documented in Nigeria, that petroleum products are used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of snake bites, arthritis, convulsion and gastro-intestinal disorders among others 2 . These taken together with increase in the prevalence of Liver diseases in Nigeria have made exposure to petroleum products an important area of study.…”

“…They are also used in homes as lighting and cooking fuels. These commodities contain predominantly hydrocarbons and have been reported to have significant adverse health effects 1,2 . Hydrocarbons and other constituents of petroleum products are metabolised and excreted by the liver and kidneys, and exposure to petroleum products have been reported to cause increase in the cytochrome P-450 dependent monoxygenase and glutathione S-transferase in the liver 1 .…”

Dysfunctional Liver and other High Metabolic Organs in Asymptomatic Petroleum Depot Workers in Calabar South-South, Nigeria

“…The result is in consonance with that of Nwanjo and Ojiako (2007) in petrol station workers and with that of Patrick-Iwuanyanwu et al (2011) in rats fed on kerosene and petrol contaminated diets. Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase (GGT) activity in the exposed group was higher by 99.12% relative to the control group, suggesting liver associated damage in the exposed group (Hyder et al, 2013).…”

“…The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was higher (p<0.05) in the depot workers which may imply alterations in the synthesis and transport of the enzyme following obstructive liver disease (Halim et al, 1997). This result agrees with that of Nwanjo and Ojiako (2007) in petrol station workers and that of Patrick-Iwuanyanwu et al (2011) but in rats fed on kerosene and petrol contaminated diets. The higher (p<0.05) aspartate amino transferase (AST) activity observed in the exposed group as against the control agrees with the report of Nwanjo and Ojiako (2007) for petrol station workers.…”