الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The production and consumption of petroleum products has increased worldwide. Occupational exposure to BTEX compounds at petroleum refineries has a serious impact on human health as they cause a wide range of health hazards ranging from irritation to carcinogenicity. These compounds are genotoxic in nature due to their ability to cause DNA damage, chromosomal and/or genetic aberrations. Recently, it has been hypothesized that genotoxicity of BTEX compounds is related to oxidative stress and, consequently, oxidative DNA damage. In the literature, there is no enough data regarding the relationship between environmental levels of BTEX at petroleum refineries and the genotoxic effects of these compounds, in addition biological monitoring data for petroleum workers are deficient. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the genotoxic effects of exposure to BTEX, and examine the relationship between environmental levels of BTEX and indicators of genotoxicity, oxidative stress and exposure biomarkers among petroleum workers. |