Investigating Respiratory Status in Workers Exposed to Benzene Download PDF

Purpose: Benzene is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid, accompanied by a gasoline-like odor that can evaporate and spread in air. Benzene is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many materials and due to its high utilization in the industries, it is considered as one of the 20 most important chemical products in the world. Benzene-induced industrial poisoning occurs almost entirely by inhalation of benzene vapors in the air. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of exposure to benzene under working environment conditions on respiratory conditions and also Spirometry results in humans. Materials and Methods: This is a comparative and analytical cross-sectional study, in which 40 benzene-exposed workers and 40 healthy subjects with no history of being exposed to benzene as control group with the same sex and age (26-40) and with a work experience of 5 to 15 years and an exposure period of 8 hours were investigated. The concentration of benzene in air was measured using standard methods. In addition, spirometric testing was performed. For spirometry, spirolab III was used. Results: The average concentration of benzene in the air of the studied workshops was 1.68 ppm. The results of the present study showed that the level of spirometric evaluation parameters in the exposed group with benzene has decreased. The average exposure of workers at various workshops with benzene fumes does not exceed the exposure limit values of these compounds. And it seems that in the results of the study, other factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, non-vegetarian diet and exposure to benzene are effective.