Benzene exposure among auto-repair workers from workplace ambience: a pioneer study from Pakistan

Identification of Hippuric Acid and Phenols in the Urine of Workers with Occupational Exposure

The current study was conducted on workers in the printing industry in Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, which has grown significantly in recent years, providing work for a large number of people whose health motivates us to carry out this work. Because these workers handle substances that appear innocuous but are toxic to human health, such as paint products like VOCs, inhaling these volatile and organic solvents is involuntary. If chronic, it manifests in various symptomatic forms in humans, such as changes in psychomotor function or organ damage, highlighting the need to investigate and evaluate their toxicity depending on the degree of aversion and repercussions experienced by those exposed to this type of solvent. The study was conducted on 40 workers who work in randomly selected locations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For the quantification of total hippuric acid and phenols in urine, two different methods were used. Finally, a survey was carried out to obtain information on the level of knowledge of the toxicity of the chemical substances that use the degree of protection; once the results of the quantitative analyses were obtained and supplemented with the data made by the personal interview, it allowed us to obtain the necessary information to carry out the statistical evaluation and thus to interpret the real substance of the occupational exposure of contamination to which these workers are exposed. The total phenols found averaged $226.61\pm 3.62\text{mg}/\text{L}$ , and hippuric acid is $2.126\pm 0.83\text{g}/\text{L}$ . These values indicate benzene and toluene exposure because they exceed WHO reference values in urine.

Controlling Painters' Exposure to Volatile Organic Solvents in the Automotive Sector of Southern Colombia

Background

Painters in the automotive sector are routinely exposed to volatile organic solvents, and the levels vary depending on the occupational health and safety controls enforced at the companies. This study investigates the levels of exposure to organic vapors and the existence of controls in the formal economy sector in southern Colombia.

Methods

This is an exploratory study of an observational and descriptive character. An analysis of solvents is conducted via the personal sampling of painters and the analysis of samples using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 1501 method. The amount of solvents analyzed varied according to the budget allocated by the companies. The person in charge of the occupational safety and health management system was interviewed to learn about the exposure controls implemented at the companies.

Results

A medium exposure risk for toluene was found in one company. Another presented medium risk for carbon tetrachloride, xylene, ethylbenzene, and n-butanol. The others showed low risk of exposure and that the controls implemented were not sufficient or efficient.

Conclusion

These results shed light on the working conditions of these tradespeople. The permissible limits established by Colombian regulations for the evaluated chemical contaminants were not exceeded. However, there were contaminants that exceeded the limits of action. The analysis of findings made it possible to propose improvements in occupational safety and health management systems to allow the optimization of working conditions for painters, prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases, and reduce costs to the country's health system.

Reduced Haematopoietic Output in Automobile Mechanics and Sprayers with Chronic Exposure to Petrochemicals: A Case-Control Study in Cape Coast, Ghana

Background

Automobile mechanics and sprayers are at a higher risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals which may cause adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to use reticulocyte count as an indirect measure of the haematological output in automobile mechanics and sprayers in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.

Method

This cross-sectional study recruited 130 participants: 90 cases (57 automobile mechanics and 33 automobile sprayers) and 40 controls (nonautomobile workers). Venous blood samples were drawn from the participants and examined for full blood count and absolute reticulocyte count. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic and occupational safety information from participants.

Results

75.6% of cases had never received occupational safety training. Whereas 35.1% of automobile mechanics routinely siphoned fuel, 36.4% of automobile sprayers never used nose masks in the discharge of their duties. Controls had significantly higher WBC counts compared to mechanics (p = 0.0001; 5.04 ± 1.7 versus 3.81 ± 1.1), or sprayers (p = 0.0004; 5.04 ± 1.7 versus 3.74 ± 0.9). Lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts were also significantly higher in controls compared to cases. Whereas RBC counts were significantly higher in controls compared to automobile mechanics (4.85 versus 4.66; p = 0.034), haemoglobin levels were significantly higher in automobile sprayers compared to controls (15.13 versus 14.1 g/dl; p = 0.0126). Absolute reticulocyte count was significantly higher in controls compared to cases [p < 0.0001; (56.88 ± 32.14) × 10⁹/L (controls) versus (25.31 ± 15.75) × 10⁹/L (sprayers) or (33.27 ± 24.42) × 10⁹/L (mechanics)]. Among the cases however, only RBC counts were significantly lower in automobile mechanics compared to automobile sprayers (p = 0.0088; 4.66 ± 0.4 versus 4.85 ± 0.5).

Conclusion

It was evident that both automobile mechanics and sprayers had significantly reduced haematopoietic output. Occupational safety training is not given priority and must be addressed.