Exposure to Petrol on the Liver and the Kidneys of Auto-mechanics in Aba Metropolis South-East, Nigeria; Age and Duration Effects

Aim: The aim of this study was assess exposure to petrol on the liver and the kidney of Auto-mechanics in Aba Metropolis, South-East, Nigeria, considering age and duration effects.

Study design: This study is a cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State and Laboratory Department, JAROS Inspection Services Limited, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between April 2018 and June 2018.

Methodology: A total of 204 samples comprising of 123 auto-mechanics and 81 non -auto-mechanics were assayed. Detailed information of the bio-data of the subjects including age, gender, medical history, health information and lifestyle were obtained from each participant. Blood samples were collected from for the analysis of serum urea and creatinine level and enzyme activity of AST, ALT and ALP using selectra PRoS. The effect of age and the duration of exposure were also determined.

Results: Statistics showed no significant variation in the mean urea (p>0.05) between the exposed and the control but, there was significant increase in the mean creatinine, AST, ALT, and ALP (p<0.05) in the exposed compared with the control participants. Out of the 123 of the exposed individuals, 29 (23.7%), 23 (18.6%), 4 (3.2%) and 40 (37.4%) had serum AST, ALT, ALP and creatinine level, above the reference value, for health respectively.

Conclusion: This study shows that the auto-mechanics are occupationally exposed to toxic chemicals and are prone to future hepato and renal pathology events.