Background: The nature and safety of the occupational environment is important for the health of those who work in those environments. In environments with exposure to pollutants, the longer the duration of exposure to the noxious agents, the more health hazard it causes. Occupational exposure to petrol fumes may consequently lead to acute and chronic respiratory diseases as well as possible carcinogenesis.

Objective: To determine the pulmonary symptoms resulting from exposure to petrol fumes in petrol filling station workers.

Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study was carried out. Two hundred and eighty eligible and consenting respondents participated in this study. This study was carried out in Esan West Local Government area in Edo State, Nigeria from June to November 2015. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographic characteristics, work history, mode of exposure and duration of exposure to petrol fumes, respiratory symptoms and use of personal protective equipment. Lung function was assessed using a DTspiro spirometer (Model POP - 10. Serial no 110843-005); the anthropometric parameters of the respondent were measured. Statistical analysis was done using IBM - SPSS 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 criterion of significant association was assumed for 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. Respiratory symptoms like cough, catarrh, sputum production, wheeze and chest pain, however catarrh was the predominant and statistically significant when compared to other symptoms observed among the control group.

Conclusions: This study observed the presence of respiratory symptoms and among petrol pump attendants when compared to the control group.

Keywords: petrol pump attendants, respiratory symptoms, pollution, southern, Nigeria, occupational hazard.

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Ordu Collins Ahamefule

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Port Harcourt, Rivers State

ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0290-7682