Nations around the world have banned lead in petrol [1]. The primary reason for removing lead additives from petrol is its adverse effect on human health. In response to evidence that blood lead concentrations approaching toxic levels in children and traffic policemen in Sri Lanka, tetraethyl lead was removed from petrol in the year 2002. Following this change a reduction in roadside atmospheri...

The increased travelling of today makes nodes along travelling routes more and more important. This is very much the case of petrol stations. They constitute important nodes in the road network, filling up thirsty fuel tanks and hungry stomachs, guiding road users and providing vehicle-services. In this thesis the role of the petrol station for road users was investigated in order to find out i...

Objective: Exposures to petrol vapours have been shown to affect functioning of different systems of the body. The effect on lung function is largely unexplored in Africa. We aimed at studying the effect of exposure to petrol vapours on pulmonary function among petrol pump workers. Method: A cross-sectional survey using modified Medical Research Council questionnaire was conducted and spirometr...

Petrol scarcity is a malady and a serious economic problem in Nigeria. Successive governments have, often times, used it as a case for political advances, yet petrol scarcity remained an undefeatable macroeconomic monster in Nigeria. The need for petrol, its availability and affordability is obviously important especially as the risks and its attendant effects are undesirable. Thus, this invest...

Lung function tests have been of increasing interest in the use for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of pulmonary function in patients with abnormalities of cardiorespiratory system (1). Petroleum refining products are constituted by cycloalkanes, straight and branched chain alkenes which are continued source of pollution in various occupational settings (2). With the increasing use of p...

BACKGROUND In chronic petrol sniffers, recent exposure to high levels of leaded petrol may give rise to a lead encephalopathy characterised by tremor, chorea, ataxia, hyperreflexia, convulsive seizures, and death. Neurological abnormalities associated with lead encephalopathy involve the cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and brain stem. OBJECTIVE To use saccadic eye movement tasks as an expe...

Incomplete burning of the fuel and high emission in the engine were the major problems in using the petrol as a fuel. In this Experimental study, the effects of Diethyl Ether, petrol fuel blend investigated on four stroke four cylinder SI engine for analyzing the performance and combustion characteristics. The tests were performed while running the engine at speeds of 1500&1000 rpm and at four ...

To determine the effect of petroleum exposure on the activity of hepatic mixed function oxidase enzymes, salivary elimination kinetics of antipyrine were determined in 19 petrol station attendants and compared with 19 controls. Antipyrine half life in petrol station attendants was shorter than in controls. Microsomal preparations (10 000 x g supernatants) were prepared from six male Porton rats...

Prolonged exposure to petrol has been shown to be a significant health hazard, especially for skeletal, circulatory, immune and reproductive systems. The present study investigates liver functions (alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, total protein and albumin) and immune functions (IgG, IgA and IgM) in 29 male petrol attendants...

Editor – We appreciate the comments of P.J. Landrigan concerning our article on the factors associated with elevated blood concentrations in children in Karachi, Pakistan (1, 2). In his editorial, however, he commented that the decline in the use of leaded petrol in Pakistan had resulted in declines in children's blood lead levels. Mean blood lead concentrations in schoolchildren had been repor...