O08-1 Petrol exposure and dna integrity of peripheral lymphocytes

Abstract

Background Petrol attendants are at risk for the development of cancers. Exposures experienced by such workers include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAH’s and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are associated with DNA damage, DNA strand breaks, micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations. Aim To determine the effect of petrol exposure on DNA integrity in peripheral blood lymphocytes among petrol attendants and a non-exposed comparison population. Methods Fuel station employees (n = 101) and office-based non-exposed (n = 50) workers in Durban, South Africa were interviewed using a validated questionnaire. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral lymphocytes for the benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-DNA Adduct assay (ELISA), and DNA damage was determined using the comet assay. Results Among the exposed, the mean duration of employment in the fuel industry was 5.8 years (SD = 4.6) and among those pumping fuel (n = 75), the mean metric tons of petrol pumped in the past 12 months per worker was 199.2 (SD = 88.9). The mean percentage tail DNA varied significantly between exposed and non-exposed groups: 23.8% (SD = 13.3) and 8.1% (SD = 1.8) (p Conclusion Our study adds to the literature that long term, low dose exposure to vehicular fuels are likely to result in altered DNA integrity and genotoxicity among petrol attendants. These results strengthen the case that these workers must be afforded appropriate protection to prevent serious adverse outcomes.