Background: Occupational health is an important consideration,
especially for people that work in an environment with pollutants. Gasoline
attendants are individuals that work in filling stations. They are constantly
exposed to gasoline fumes and automobile engine products from vehicle exhaust.
This increases the risk of acute and chronic respiratory diseases and
carcinogenesis among them. The risk of health complications tends to increase
with the duration of exposure. The study aimed to determine the proportion of
gasoline attendants with lung function impairment. Methods and Materials: Two hundred and eight eligible participants were recruited for this study. A
cross-sectional
analytical study was carried out in Esan West local government area of Edo
state, Nigeria. The study was carried out for a period of six months from
December 2015 to May 2016. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on
demographic characteristics, work history, mode of exposure and duration of
exposure to petrol fumes. Lung function was assessed using a DTspiro spirometer
(Model POP10.
Serial no 110843-005); also the anthropometric parameters of the respondent
were measured. Statistical analysis was done using IBMSPSS version 20.0. Frequency and percentages were
used to present categorical data. The mean and standard deviation of continuous
variables were calculated and compared using the student’s t-test. The criteria
of significant association were assumed for a p-value less than 0.05. Results: A total of one hundred and forty petrol pump attendants and one hundred and
forty controls participated in this study. The mean age for petrol pump
attendants was 24 ± 3.1 years and 23 ± 2.8 years for the control group. There
were no significant differences in the gender distribution and anthropometric
parameters as observed in this study. The lung impairment pattern observed in
this study was obstructive in twelve (8.6%) gasoline pump attendants and
restrictive pattern in thirty-nine (27.9%) gasoline
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