Biomonitoring of human populations exposed to petroleum fuels with special consideration on the role of benzene as a genotoxic component

The goal of this project is to study the effects of petroleum fuel exposition on health, and in particular at the genotoxic level, with special emphasis in benzene effects, a very well known genotoxic carcinogen. Exposure levels in different populations exposed to petroleoum vapours will be described, correlated with genotoxic damage indicators. The populations to be studied are two groups of filling station attendants (Roma and Barcelona) and two groups of workers from the petrochemical industry (Tarragona and Estonia). The Researchers of Bellaterra, in collaboration with the Centre de Seguretat i Higiene en el Treball de Barcelona, will study, in the populations of Barcelona and Tarragona, exposure levels and incidence of cytogenetic alterations (frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CA), of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and of micronuclei (MN)) in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Cyto