Comparative Study of Workers Exposure to Volatile Compounds in Cooking Gas and Petrol Stations in Effurun and Environs

Abstract

This project aimed to determine workers' exposure to volatile compounds in cooking gas and petrol stations in Effurun and its environs. A total of ten cooking gas and petrol stations were randomly sampled for the study. A gas analyzer (Eurotron 3000+ UniGas) was used to collect data, and the parameters analyzed were O2, CO2, CO, NO, NO2, and SO. It was observed that the cooking gas and petrol stations were within OSHA standard rating, for O2 = 206,000-ppm as OSHA = 195,000-ppm, for CO2 = 23-ppm as OSHA = 5000-ppm, for CO = 14-ppm as OSHA = 50, for NO = 15-ppm as OSHA = 25-ppm and for SO2 = 0-ppm as OSHA = 5-ppm, whereas NO2 calculated was 18-ppm was higher than OSHA recommended value (5-ppm), hence could make the environment not conducive for workers if exposed over a long period. According to the calculated values, all ten (10) cooking gas and petrol stations covered in this project work complied with OSHA's recommended values for O2, CO2, CO, NO, and SO2 except for NO2 (18-ppm) as it was higher than the allowable limit of 5-ppm set by OSHA, this may be due to the presence of car exhaust fumes driving in and out of the gas and petrol stations and the release of cooking gas into the atmosphere from the gas stations. It was recommended that shift work be adopted to reduce the accumulation of volatile compounds in the workers' bodies; disposable masks should be used to reduce workers' inhalation of volatile compounds.