Mutation Research 813 (2017) 1–9 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/gentox Community address: www.elsevier.com/locate/mutres Biomonitoring of gasoline station attendants exposed to benzene: Effect of gender Angela M. Moro a,b , Natália Brucker a , Mariele F. Charão a , Marília Baierle a , Elisa Sauer a,c , Gabriela Goethel a,c , Anelise Barth a , Sabrina N. Nascimento a,c , Bruna Gauer a,c , Juliano Durgante a , Beatriz S. Amaral d , Francisco R.A. Neto e , Adriana Gioda d , Solange C. Garcia a,c,∗ a Laboratory of Toxicology (LATOX), Department of Analysis, Pharmacy Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil b Specialized Faculty in the Health Area of Rio Grande do Sul (FASURGS), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil c Post-graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil d Chemistry Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil e Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 3 June 2016 Received in revised form 17 September 2016 Accepted 3 November 2016 Available online 5 November 2016 Keywords: Occupational benzene exposure Gasoline station attendants Gender Hematotoxicity Genotoxicity Non-cancer effects a b s t r a c t Women are employed in increasing numbers as gasoline station attendants, a work category with risk of exposure to benzene. We have assessed the effect of gender on biomarkers of occupational benzene exposure. Gasoline station attendants (20 men and 20 women) and 40 control individuals (20 men and 20 women) with no history of occupational benzene exposure were evaluated. Benzene exposure was monitoring by environmental and biological measurements. Urinary trans,trans-muconic acid levels, well-known genetic and hematological alterations linked to benzene exposure, and non-cancer effects on the immune, hepatic, and renal systems were investigated. Our results suggest a potential effect of gender on some effects of occupational benzene exposure, particularly the hematological parameters and trans,trans-muconic acid levels. Despite limitations of our study, our findings provide important consid- erations about occupational exposure of women to benzene and may contribute to the development of occupational protection standards. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Occupational exposure to benzene has been linked to adverse health effects, including hematotoxicity, genotoxicity and car- cinogenesis [1–5]. Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that benzene exposure can lead to non-cancer health effects [6]. Benzene has been used in several industrial settings [7], especially petrochemical industries [7,8], the chemical indus- try, and in manufacturing, e.g. rubber, shoes, and printing [7–10]. Transport, distribution, and fueling (gasoline) are also important occupational sources [11]. “Gasoline station attendant” (GSA) is recognized as a job cat- egory with risk of exposure to benzene [8]. In Brazil, there are no self-service gasoline stations; fueling is performed by GSA, who are chronically exposed to benzene during work shifts [12]. Accord- ing to Corrêa [13], among the Brazilian population, GSA are the ∗ Corresponding author at: Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP: 90610-000, Brazil. E-mail address: solange.garcia@ufrgs.br (S.C. Garcia). second largest group of workers potentially exposed to benzene. Historically, this group has comprised mainly male workers. How- ever, recently, the number of women gasoline station attendants has increased, to a ratio of about 2.5:1 men: women [13]. Biomonitoring is a mandatory health protection measure for these workers [2,14]. Tolerance limits have mainly been based on studies of male subjects [15], but exposure can vary substantially between women and men [2,15]. Despite much research on the hazardous effects of benzene exposure, little information is avail- able regarding the possible influence of gender. In this study, we performed biomonitoring of GSA routinely exposed to benzene, examining the influence of gender on biomark- ers of exposure and effect. We measured well-known genetic and hematological alterations caused by benzene exposure, as well as non-cancer effects on the immune, hepatic, and renal systems. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mrgentox.2016.11.002 1383-5718/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.