Objective The objective of the study is to investigate the effects on human health of occupational exposure to petroleum fuels. With this aim, the occurrence of genetic damage in blood cells and the mortality in exposed populations are analyzed.Petroleum fuels contain sizeable amounts of known human and animal carcinogens, such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. Despite the wide human exposure to fuel vapours, the health effects deriving from the use of petroleum fuels has not been elucidated. To clarify this relationship, studies on human populations with high exposure levels are undertaken, and used as a model for the estimation of risks in the general population.Populations with high occupational exposures to petroleum fuels (filling station attendants, refinery workers) and a group of workers employed in the manufacturing of benzene are selected for environmental and biological monitoring. In addition, an epidemiological survey on filling station managers is carried out, as is a study of populations in the vicinity of a large oil refinery.In order to quantitate the levels of exposure to benzene and other hydrocarbons in the selected populations, individual exposure profiles are defined by repeated personal sampling of inhaled air and by the analysis of exhaled air.In the biological monitoring of exposed populations and matched control groups, a range of methodologies for the detection of early genetic or adverse effects are applied. The occurrence of genetic effects is evaluated by the cytogenetic analysis of perpheral lymphocytes, which is known to be a sensitive indicator of low-level exposure to genotoxic agents. Different end-points (sister chromatid exchanges, structural chromosome aberrations, micronuclei) are investigated. Sub-groups of workers with high exposure levels are also studied to evaluate the effects of their exposure on DNA adducts in white blood cells (as detected by 32P-postlabelling), and on blood levels of oncogene products and mitogen-induced blastogenesis.The consequence of long-term, low-level exposure to petroleum fuels is addressed in a retrospective mortality study on a few cohorts of Italian filling station managers, where the mortality data are analyzed in relation to the intensity of the exposure, estimated by the use of available qualitative and semi-quantitative indices (e.g. length of employment, number of fuel supplies, amount of fuel sold). Fields of science social sciencessociologydemographymortalitynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryhydrocarbonsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energypetroleumnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticschromosomes Programme(s) FP3-ENV 1C - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the environment, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 040203 - Environment and human health Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITA Address Viale regina elena 299 00161 Roma Italy See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all BIBRA International United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Woodmansterne road SM5 4DS Carshalton See on map Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Piazzale aldo moro 5 00185 Roma See on map FINNISH INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Finland EU contribution € 0,00 Address 41 a,topeliuksenkatu 41 a 00250 Helsinki See on map Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address Campus universitario 08193 Barcelona See on map
