Aplastic Anemia in a Petrochemical Plant Worker / 대한산업의학회지

Aplastic anemia is characterized by pancytopenia with hypocellular bone marrow. Fifty percent of the cases are idiopathic and the rest are caused by various agents including drugs, chemicals, radiation and viruses. It is difficult to link specific etiologic agents, especially chemicals to the development of aplastic anemia because multiple or unknown exposures may be involved in. Benzene, a common industrial chemical and a component of gasoline, may lead progressively to pancytopenia, aplastic anemia and leukemia when exposed. A petrochemical worker with aplastic anemia was referred to our hospital to evaluate a relationship between the job history and the disease. He worked in the petrochemical plant for .21 years and was exposed to low-level benzene. There was not any other etiologic agent except benzene and this is the case report of aplastic anemia which possibly due to benzene exposure.

Assessment of Genotoxic Hazard in Petrochemical Workers / 대한산업의학회지

In order to evaluate the genotoxic hazard among workers potentially exposed to low level petrochemical substances, the analyses of micronuclei (MN) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in lymphocytes were performed in 46 male workers (as exposed group) and 46 nonexposed subjects (as control group). Mean frequencies of MN and SCEs (respectively, 12.9/1000 cells and 6.5/cell) in exposed group were very significantly higher than those (10.2/1000 cells and 5.4/cell) in control group. And there were also significant differences in mean frequencies of MN and SCEs adjusted for age, employment duration, smoking, and drinking between two groups. Median frequencies of MN and SCEs in exposed group were very significantly higher than those in control group. Frequencies of SCEs were higher in smokers than in non-smoker. Frequencies of MN in smokers, however, were similiar to those of non-smoker. Interaction between exposure and smoking on MN and SCEs induction was not observed. The results suggest that there is genotoxic hazard in high risk group like workers handling carcinogens in petrochemical plants and the analyses of MN and SCEs are useful biomarkers for the exposure to hazard substances even at the level below the exposure limit.