Risk Assessment on BTEX Exposure at Fuel Storage Tank Area in Gasoline Station

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs; BTEX) cause health effects and polluting ambient air working at a gasoline station. This cross-sectional study aimed to study health risk assessment (HRA) to BTEX exposure at fuel storage tank area for forty-seven gasoline stations in Thailand. There was collected gasoline stations characteristics by questionnaire, BTEX concentration measuring by active sampling followed NIOSH number 1501 (NIOSH 2003) methodology analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID).Health risk assessment for non-cancer effect was calculated by hazard quotient (HQ) which estimated BTEX exposure concentration was calculated following the US.EPA-IRIS. The result measuring found that 0.023(0.0003-0.6821), 0.07(0.0032-1.49), 0.0039 (0.0008-0.0552), and 1.12 (0.05-29.50)ppm for mean (min-max) concentration in benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX) respectively. Benzene concentrations measurement for two stations (4.26%) exceeded the NIOSH-TWA standard (>0.1ppm). Furthermore, the health risk assessing was estimated 2 stations (4.26%) as more than one for hazard quotient (HQ≥1) for benzene and 2 stations (4.26%) for unacceptable risk as to more than one the summary of hazard index (HI>1).The non-cancer human health risk assessing by HI for exposure to BTEX compounds, did not significant correlation with all risk parameters. However, installed area of the fuel storage tank (right side of gasoline stations; above wind direct), fuel loading frequency, the located zone of gasoline stations, and service type, closer buildings of residential (<8 meters) and station borderline (<3 meters) distance from installed fuel storage tank of gasoline stations were increasingly health risk by considered safety action or HI≥0.5.

Therefore, as this study, suggests that entrepreneurs must be strictly controlled personal protective equipment wearing, safety work instruction, and safety training for gasoline station workers (truck drivers and loading examiners) to raise awareness of intake BTEX exposure by inhalation protective, including adding health surveillance program.