Evaluating Occupational Exposure to Carcinogenic Volatile Organic Compounds in an Oil-Dependent Chemical Industry: a Case Study on Benzen and Epichlorohydrin

Exposure of workers to carcinogenic compounds in chemical industries during a long period might cause irreversible health effects. This study evaluated workers exposure to benzene and epichlorohydrin in breathing air in one of the oil-dependent chemical industries of Iran. This descriptive-analytic study was performed in one of the oil-dependent chemical industries of south of Iran, winter, 2012. A total of 173 workers were examined in this study. NIOSH 1501 and 1010 methods were used to assess personal exposure to benzene and epichlorohydrin, correspondingly. Collected samples were analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry method. Among 346 collected samples, benzene was identified in all cases (100%) and epichlorohydrin in 156 samples (45%). A significant difference was found in the mean of exposure to benzene and epichlorohydrin in various workshops (Pvalue <0.05). Occupational exposure to benzene in machiner with 1.68 ppm and patrol officers with 0.018 ppm were the highest and lowest values, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean exposure to benzene in various occupations (Pvalue > 0.05). It seems that work nature of employees in chemical industry affects their exposure to volatile organic compounds in workplace. According to the results, due to the proximity of compounds concentration to the action level, especially benzene and also the workers exposure to less than the maximum limit in the long-term, reducing exposure through appropriate control measures are necessary.