Cardiovascular Effects Following a Single Inhalation Exposure to Crude Oil Vapor

Abstract

Inhalation of crude oil vapor fumes has resulted in serious health effects in worker working in oil extraction, drilling, processing and refinement. These vapors can negatively affect functioning of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, central nervous, renal and reproductive systems. In this study, the effects of a single exposure to crude oil vapor on the peripheral and cardiovascular systems were assessed using a rat inhalation model. Rats received a single 6 hour long exposure to either filtered air or 300 PPM of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) released from crude oil heated to 85°F, and the effects on the cardiovascular system were measured 1 and 28 days following the exposure. Inhalation of crude oil vapors resulted in reductions in diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures and baseline left ventricular diastolic pressure one day following the exposure. These changes in cardiovascular function were accompanied by a decreased vasoconstriction in response to the β‐adrenergic agonist, dobutamine, and an increase in hydrogen peroxide concentrations in the heart. There were also transient increases in the expression of the pro‐inflammatory factor, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) and hypoxia‐induced factor‐1 (HIF‐1), but reductions in the expression of interleukin‐6 and the apoptotic factor Bcl2 in the heart. There were no changes in the responsiveness of the ventral tail artery to phenylephrine‐induced vasoconstriction or acetylcholine induced re‐dilation. Twenty‐eight days following exposure, only the expression of TNFα was increased. The other inflammatory factors returned to baseline levels. Based on the results of this experiment, there are effects of crude oil inhalation on cardiovascular function that may be then result of transient hypoxia and longer‐term, low level of inflammation in the heart. Longer‐term exposures will determine whether the effects seen with an acute exposure are maintained, and lead to additional symptoms of cardiac dysfunction, and identify biomarkers that can be used to monitor these changes.Support or Funding InformationThis work was funded as part of the authors official duties as an employee at NIOSHThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.