Table 1.
Summary of general characteristics, markers of exposure and health status in petrol station workers and control subjects.
| Personal Characteristic | Statistics | Petrol Station Workers (N = 89) | Controls (N = 90) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | mean ± SD | 44 ± 11 | 44 ± 11 | 0.9671 |
| Sex (male) | N (%) | 89 (100%) | 90 (100%) | - |
| BMI (kg/m2) | mean ± SD | 25.9 ± 3.1 | 26.2 ± 3.4 | 0.6000 |
| Cotinine | ||||
| >100 μg/L | N (%) | 40 (45%) | 36 (40%) | 0.5034 |
| ≤100 μg/L | N (%) | 49 (55%) | 54 (60%) | |
| Cotinine in smokers (µg/L) | Median (10th–90th) | 1948 (984–2933) | 1691 (462–2856) | 0.4700 |
| Creatinine * (g/L) | median (10th–90th) | 1.66 (0.92–2.40) | 1.54 (0.92–2.35) | 0.1670 |
| Exposure assessment | ||||
| BEN-A (μg/m3) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 59 (10–203) 3–3246 |
4 (2–112) 1–48 |
<0.0001 |
| MTBE-A (μg/m3) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 408 (32–1905) 2–57616 |
3.5 (1.7–15.3) <0.8–528 |
<0.0001 |
| BEN-U * (ng/L) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 382 (114–2201) 71–4702 |
122 (72–948) 54–4407 |
<0.0001 |
| tt-MA * (µg/L) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 86 (22–185) <20–505 |
63 (25–184) < 20–292 |
0.3324 |
| SPMA * (µg/L) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 0.17 (<0.1–1.01) <0.1–2.19 |
<0.1 (<0.1–0.68) <0.1–0.68 |
0.0002 |
| MTBE-U * (ng/L) | median (10th–90th) minimum–maximum | 232 (85–751) 14–1733 |
58 (22–109) 8–158 |
<0.0001 |
* Geometric mean of three measures: baseline, start-shift and end-shift levels.