Abstract
Benzene is a carcinogenic chemical substance which causes the injuries and damages through producing the free radicals in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and the antioxidants are the agents which reduce the impacts of DNA damages by inhibiting the free radicals. This study was conducted aiming at determination of primary damages of DNA and level of plasma oxidative stress markers resulting from the respiratory exposure to the benzene found in petroleum compounds among the workers at loading platforms of a petroleum products distribution center. This study was an analytical (case control) research conducted among the workers in a working shift serving at the loading platforms of petroleum products. The exposure group included the workers with a history of contact with benzene and the control group was composed of the persons with no history of exposure to benzene. To investigate the level of the personnel’s exposure to benzene, NIOSH-1501 method was utilized; to analyze the samples taken from the air, GC mass (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) was applied; and to determine the average of DNA primary damages, comet assay was used. Total antioxidant capacity was determined by a photometric method. Results indicated that tail length (TL), tail density (TD), tail momentum (TM), percentage of tail in the DNA (%DNA), and %TAC in control group were 78.59, 8.35, 1.20, 10.05, and 25.58 and in the exposure group were 59.21, 75.74, 57.74, 3.5, and 16.58, respectively. The previously mentioned results showed a decrease in the TL, %DNA, and %TAC values among the workers already exposed to benzene while an increase in the TD and TM values of the same group compared to the control non-exposed group. In comparing the averages between two studied groups, all study variables had statistically meaningful difference (p < 0.05). More studies are recommended to be conducted on using the methods which identify the special places of breakage and damage in DNA chain due to the exposure to benzene and consequently prevent the complications and consequences.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Change history
08 March 2022
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19615-y
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all candidate workers/managers/supervisors for their kind participation in this study.
Funding
This study was self-sponsored and was not financially sponsored by any organization or government. Also, the authors enunciate that they had no financial or personal relationship with people or organizations that could inappropriately influence their study. Ahmad Zolfaghari is occupational health consultant in Petroleum Industry Health Organization in Isfahan and receives a salary from there but has no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article. Other authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Ahmad Zolfaghari, Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi, and Vida Rezaei Hachesu; data analysis and writing—review and editing were performed by Abdorreza Zarei; and Mr. Ahmad Zolfaghari was responsible for funding acquisition. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ahmad Zolfaghari and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The publication of this case was conducted with the approval of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Yazd ethics committee in Iran. The code of ethics was IR.SSU.SPH.REC.1394.66. Before the study, an informed consent was received from the participants. Details and aims of the study were explained to all participants.
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Limitations
The impossibility of conducting the experiment and its evaluation for all employees working on the loading platforms of petroleum products, applying other methods for comparing the total antioxidant capacity, and impossible assessment and determination of benzene absorbed through the biological monitoring of worker due to lack of equipment, laboratory facilities, financial resources, and insufficient time are among the limitations of this study. Therefore, it is suggested to pay close attention to the aforementioned limitations in the future studies to obtain more complete results.
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The original online version of this article was revised: The format of Tables 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are incorrect. The columns on the name of covariates should be on the left side and the corresponding columns about p-values on the right side.
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Sakhvidi, M.J.Z., Zarei, A., Hachesu, V.R. et al. Evaluating the relationship between the respiratory exposure to the benzene with the primary damages of deoxyribonucleic acid and total antioxidant capacity in one of the oil companies in Iran. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 48340–48346 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19015-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19015-2