Revisión bibliográfica no sistemática y comparada de la materia médica de Petroleum y de los cuadros clínicos generados por la exposición a hidrocarburos aromáticos / Non-systematic and comparative bibliographic review of Petroleum's medical material and clinical pictures generated by exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons

En este informe se presentan los resultados del cotejo de la pesquisa sobre la patogénesia de Petroleum y de los cuadros clínicos generados en las personas por la exposicion a los hidrocarburos aromáticos, para establecer la posibilidad de analogía entre los síntomas contenidos en la materia medica del Petroleum y los síndromes asociados a los efectos tóxicos de los hidrocarburos aromáticos; considerados por la O.M.S., la O.I.T y la A.T.S.D. R. como peligrosos y causantes de un problema global de salud pública. Se describen los mecanismos que soportan la reactividad biologica de la molécula de benceno, estructura básica y funcional de los hidrocarburos aromáticos, presente en el petróleo y la gasolina, reconocida como uno de los compuestos más tóxicos por sus propiedades carcinogénicas y capacidad de afectar procesos enzimáticos vitales llegando a causar mutaciones, enfermedades incapacitantes y dada su afinidad por el tejido graso, lesionar el Sistema Nervioso y el Sistema Neuroendocrino produciendo síndromes clínicos insidiosos y progresivos, agravados por hábitos de vida no saludables como el consumo de alcohol y el tabaquismo. Si bien es cierto que la descripción de los efectos (signos) en la salud provocados por la exposición a los hidrocarburos aromáticos no se encuentra modalizada, a diferencia de la descripción del síntoma en la semiología homeopática que permite la individualizacion, se infiere correspondencia entre la lesión orgánica y la consecuente expresión de déficit funcional del individuo y analogía con los síntomas descritos en la patogenesia del Petroleum. La lesión del Sistema Nervioso provocada por la exposición a los hidrocarburos aromáticos que comprometen al individuo desde su afecto, intelecto y voluntad explican las peculiaridades de sus síntomas mentales y los síntomas generales; asi mismo, los efectos sobre el sistema neuroendocrino se expresan en síntomas de déficit adaptativo; en piel y mucosas, se evidencian los efectos irritantes. Todo esto nos permite inferir el grado de analogía correspondiente con la patogenesia del medicamento Petroleum.

[Assessment of Hematotoxic effects of occupational exposure to unleaded petrol]

Gasoline is a complex mixture of more than 500 hydrocarbons. The elimination of lead from petrol has been associated with the addition of significant amounts of hematotoxic monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene and xylene [BTX]. The main purpose of this study was to ascertain whether exposure to unleaded petrol, under normal working conditions, is associated with any hematotoxic response. This was a historical cohort study in which 200 subjects with current exposure to unleaded petrol from Shiraz petrol stations as well as 200 unexposed employees were investigated. Using standard methods, atmospheric concentrations of BTX were measured. Additionally, blood samples were taken from subjects for routine biochemical tests such as RBC, WBC and platelet count, Hemoglobin, hematocrit and RDW. The geometric means of airborne concentrations of BTX were found to be 0/24, 0/37 and 0/64 ppm, respectively. The results of blood chemistry tests showed that no significant differences exist between both groups as far as biochemical tests, but RDW and hematocrit, were concerned. The average exposure of petrol station workers to BTX did not exceed the current TLVs for these chemicals. Additionally, overt hematotoxicity is unlikely to be the outcome of exposure to unleaded petrol under the conditions described in our study.

Toxicity assessment and microbial degradation of azo dyes.

Toxic effluents containing azo dyes are discharged from various industries and they adversely affect water resources, soil fertility, aquatic organisms and ecosystem integrity. They pose toxicity (lethal effect, genotoxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity) to aquatic organisms (fish, algae, bacteria, etc.) as well as animals. They are not readily degradable under natural conditions and are typically not removed from waste water by conventional waste water treatment systems. Benzidine based dyes have long been recognized as a human urinary bladder carcinogen and tumorigenic in a variety of laboratory animals. Several microorganisms have been found to decolourize, transform and even to completely mineralize azo dyes. A mixed culture of two Pseudomonas strains efficiently degraded mixture of 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CBA) and phenol/cresols. Azoreductases of different microorganisms are useful for the development of biodegradation systems as they catalyze reductive cleavage of azo groups (-N=N-) under mild conditions. In this review, toxic impacts of dyeing factory effluents on plants, fishes, and environment, and plausible bioremediation strategies for removal of azo dyes have been discussed.