November/December 2002 Alternative Health
Study Warns of Health Risks From Fuels, Solvents
PORTLAND, Oregon, September 13, 2002 (ENS) - Certain chemical ingredients
of gasoline, jet fuel and other solvents may pose a greater health hazard
than first thought, say researchers at Oregon Health & Science University
(OHSU).
Scientists at the OHSU Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental
Toxicology (CROET) have shown that a benzene derivative damages the
nervous system. In fact, the substance is much more active than non-benzene
compounds already known to cause peripheral nerve damage, including
loss of limb sensation and muscle weakness, in workers who are exposed
to solvents.
"Previously, researchers believed that benzene derivatives were
unable to damage the nervous system," said Dr. Peter Spencer, one
of the authors of a new report on the research, appearing in the September
2002 issue of the "Journal of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology."
"The substance we studied - 1,2-diacetylbenzene - has a ring-like
(aromatic) chemical structure in contrast to the straight chain (aliphatic)
solvents that are well established causes of occupation related nerve
damage," Spencer explained. "Our data suggest the aromatic
substance actually has a much higher neurotoxic potency. In addition,
the new findings raise the possibility that related aromatic chemicals
may also damage the nervous system. We believe these substances should
be tested for neurotoxicity, and occupational exposures should be regulated
to prevent illness among workers who come in contact with these chemicals."
One of these related aromatic chemicals, a substance known as Musk
tetralin, was used until the 1980s by the fragrance industry to hide
product odor in soaps and fragrances. The industry withdrew Musk tetralin
worldwide after Spencer and fellow researchers demonstrated the substance
was neurotoxic.
Because aromatic hydrocarbons have been used in such large quantities
by the public and in commerce, the chemicals are now common contaminants
in soil and water.
"One surprising property of these neurotoxic substances, including
Musk tetralin and 1,2-diacetylbenzene, is their ability to cause blue
discoloration of tissue and urine to turn green. Perhaps this property
could be used as a biological marker of exposure to these hazardous
substances," said coauthor Dr. Mohammad Sabri. "We hope to
develop a method by which urine or other fluids can be tested for the
presence of the blue pigment. Since urine discoloration occurs before
neurological disease, it may serve to help prevent onset of disease
among those exposed to these substances in the workplace or at contaminated
sites."
The research was conducted through the OHSU/CROET Superfund Basic Research
Program and NeuroToxicogenomics Research Center, both funded by the
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, a component of
the National Institutes of Health. Leadership of both of these research
centers resides in CROET.