Health risk in road transport workers. Part I. Occupational exposure to chemicals, biomarkers of effect

Abstract

Motor vehicle emissions constitute a mixture of different chemicals: volatile organic solvents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, isocyanates, etc. Drivers working in car cabins are exposed to chemicals deriving from incomplete combustion of fuels, exhaust emissions from working engines and fuel evaporation. Concentrations of these substances are rather low and do not exceed the applicable hygiene standards, but some of them pose, or are suspected to pose, carcinogenic risk. The interaction of chemical substances with human cells and tissues can lead to a number of modifications of metabolic pathways at a cellular level. The first biological mechanism of metabolic modulation is an inflammatory state and oxidative stress generation. The aim of this review is to analyze biomarkers of effect and to assess the hazard of occupational exposure of drivers.

Impact of Petroleum Exposure on Some Hematological Indices, Interleukin-6, and Inflammatory Markers of Workers at Petroleum Stations in Basra City

“…However, the toxicity may act through different pathways [7]. ese pathological pathways result in releasing different mediators and inflammatory molecules including cytokines [9,12].…”

“…A shred of evidence proved that increased CRP production is characteristic of inflammatory, infective, and tissue damage [38]. Consequently, first, the current elevation in CRP may be due to the persistent inflammatory status resulting from exposure to benzene, and second, due to the high concentration of interleukin-6 that provokes the liver to form acute phase proteins, including the reactive protein (CRP) [12]. Our results confirmed this explanation by the presence of a significant positive correlation between IL-6 and hs-CRP.…”

“…Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine with multiple effects. It is a protein of a low molecular weight secreted mainly by cells of the immune system (monocytes and macrophages) to regulate various biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and synthesis of other proteins [12]. On the other hand, IL-6 stimulates inflammatory processes, including B lymphocyte differentiation [12].…”

“…It is a protein of a low molecular weight secreted mainly by cells of the immune system (monocytes and macrophages) to regulate various biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and synthesis of other proteins [ 12 ]. On the other hand, IL-6 stimulates inflammatory processes, including B lymphocyte differentiation [ 12 ]. This study was constructed to investigate the effect of exposure to petrol vapor containing benzene on some blood parameters of workers at several petroleum stations in Basra city, as well as to show if this exposure may result in inflammatory process, through measuring of some inflammatory markers such as neutrophil and monocytes numbers, IL-6, and hs-CRP in male workers who are exposed to the vapors for more than 5 years.…”

The role of selected environmental factors and the type of work performed on the development of urolithiasis – a review paper

“…Among physicians working in operating rooms, a significantly lower intake of fluids and higher levels of stress were observed, compared to employees not working in operating rooms. Exposure factors may also include chemicals in the work environment [122,123]. Laerum and Aarseth [96] reported a causal relationship between the occurrence of urolithia-…”