Exposure/Risk Assessment of Employees in Gasoline Refueling Stations with and Without the Efficacy of Vapor Recovery Systems in Mexico

Naohide Shinohara (), Jose Juan Felipe Ángeles García, Miguel Magaña Reyes, Becki Gatica Jiménez, Roberto Basaldud Cruz, Beatriz Cardenas Gonzalez and Shinji Wakamatsu
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Naohide Shinohara: Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability (RISS), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan
Jose Juan Felipe Ángeles García: National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Blvd. Adolfo Ruíz Cortines 4209 Jardines en la Montaña, Ciudad de México 14210, Mexico
Miguel Magaña Reyes: National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Blvd. Adolfo Ruíz Cortines 4209 Jardines en la Montaña, Ciudad de México 14210, Mexico
Becki Gatica Jiménez: National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Blvd. Adolfo Ruíz Cortines 4209 Jardines en la Montaña, Ciudad de México 14210, Mexico
Roberto Basaldud Cruz: National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Blvd. Adolfo Ruíz Cortines 4209 Jardines en la Montaña, Ciudad de México 14210, Mexico
Beatriz Cardenas Gonzalez: World Resources Institute Mexico, Belisario Dominguez No. 8, Coyoacan, Ciudad de México 04000, Mexico
Shinji Wakamatsu: Institute of Integrated Atmospheric Environment, 1-2-8 Koraku, Bunkyo, Tokyo 112-0004, Japan

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 22, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Concerns regarding the health risks associated with employe exposure to volatile chemicals during gasoline refueling necessitates rigorous investigation and effective countermeasures. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of vapor recovery systems in mitigating exposure risks during gasoline refueling. Employee exposure to volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was assessed at gasoline stations with and without vapor recovery systems. Three stations each from the State of Mexico and Mexico City, equipped with gasoline vapor recovery systems, were compared with three stations in Guadalajara lacking such systems. The exposure concentrations (mean ± standard deviation) to benzene in Guadalajara, the State of Mexico, and Mexico City were 45 ± 29, 24 ± 20, and 18 ± 15 μg/m 3 , respectively, which were significantly higher than the background atmospheric concentrations at 1.6 ± 0.56, 0.72 ± 0.083, and 0.65 ± 0.14 μg/m 3 , respectively. Similarly, the exposure concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes at gasoline stations were significantly higher than the background atmospheric concentrations. However, the exposure concentrations of formaldehyde and PM 2.5 were similar to the background atmospheric concentrations. The excess cancer risks due to benzene exposure were estimated at 1.2–4.2 × 10 −5 , 0.63–2.2 × 10 −5 , and 0.46–1.6 × 10 −5 (mean) and 0.42–1.5 × 10 −4 , 0.29–1.0 × 10 −4 , and 2.4–8.6 × 10 −5 (maximum) in Guadalajara, the State of Mexico, and Mexico City, respectively. The risk to employees in gasoline stations was reduced by 47–61% in service stations with gasoline vapor recovery systems.

Keywords: gas station; personal exposure; vapor recovery system; BTEX; formaldehyde; carbon monoxide (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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