EVALUATION OF OCCUPATIONAL BTEX EXPOSURE TO OIL PRODUCTS FOR OIL COMPANY DISTRIBUTION WORKERS IN IRAN

Abstract

Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) at oil transfer stations are high and the primary pollutants of concern from a health perspective include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) BTEX. This exploratory study investigated personal exposure to BTEX through environmental air samples collected from 50 workers (tanker loading workers, tank-gauging workers, drivers, firefighters, and office workers) at a major oil distribution company in Iran. Airborne BTEX exposures were evaluated over 8-hour periods during work-shift by using personal passive samplers. Measured mean values for workers at four sites were, respectively, 2437, 992, 584, and 2788 mu g/m(3) for benzene; 4415, 2830, 1289, and 9407 mu g/m(3) for toluene; 781, 522, 187, and 533 mu g/m(3) for ethylbenzene; and 1134, 678, 322, and 525 mu g/m(3) for xylene. Exposure across job type was similarly stratified across all personal exposures to BTEX measured in air samples with maximum concentrations found for tanker loading work. The statistical assessment revealed that the chronic BTEX exposure threatens the health of populations for all oil product distribution company workers with different exposure levels. The results are expected to facilitate personal protection for environmental regulation and pollution control in Iranian oil distribution.