Comparison of Antioxidant Levels among Petroleum Hawkers and NonPetroleum Hawkers in Bauchi Metropolis

Abstract

Background:The major components of petroleum are hydrocarbons which are toxic and have been implicated in a number of human diseases. Petroleum hawkers are exposed to these hydrocarbons continuously by inhalation. This study aimed to determine the effects of petroleum exposure on malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSSH) among petroleum hawkers in Bauchi metropolis. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 120 consenting petroleum hawkers in Bauchi metropolis.Method: Venous blood samples were collected from the subjects and analyzed using spectrophotometric technique, data was also collected using structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 23 software. Analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics. Level of significance was set at 0.05. Result:The result showed statistically significant mean difference in superoxide dismutase (SOD) in exposed group as compared to unexposed group (p<0.001). There were also differences in mean of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSSH) though this differences were not statistically significant with p-values 0.100, 0.127 and 0.057 respectively. In addition, petroleum hawkers who were exposed to petroleum products for greater than 8hrs had higher malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared to those exposed for less than 8hrs and this difference was statistically significant ( p-value=0.003). Conclusion:The results of this study showed that petroleum hawkers are at risk of adverse effects on human health especially diseases of liver and kidney.