Oxidative stress by the fox2 method in filling station attendants in Teresina, Piauí

Occupational exposures to toxic substances make up an important public health problem. In the literature, several studies have revealed that gasoline can cause functional changes in people who are often exposed to it. Due to the potentially negative impact of the exposure to fuel in the health of workers, we investigated the level of oxidative stress in filling station attendants of Teresina, Piauí state capital. We found high concentrations of lipidic hydroperoxide in the blood plasma of the filling station attendants when compared to the low levels of lipid hydroperoxide in the control group. The hydrogen peroxide concentration of the gas station attendants was about 7 to 12 times higher than the control group, depending on the age group considered. In addition, high concentrations of lipid hydroperoxide in the gas station attendants have a tendency to increase with increasing exposure time to gasoline. Regarding the lipid profile of the filling station attendants, we found a significant positive correlation with the increased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels and lipid hydroperoxide levels above the reference classified as normal. The FOX assay we employ can be used as a sensitive and reliable tool to check the levels of oxidative stress of those who work exposed to fuels, especially gasoline.