THE PECULIARITIES OF THE TOXIC EFFECT OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS ON THE HUMAN ORGANISM
Environmental pollution caused by man-made toxic wastes actually endangers the health of human beings. But the employees directly engaged in crude oil extraction, refining activities and production of oil products suffer in particular. The population (especially children) living in the proximity to industrial projects also is at certain risk. Unlike acute poisoning, chronic intoxication with hydrocarbons (especially with cyclic ones) does not offer a clear and full picture of the pathology. However, as the researches have shown, long-term exposure to small doses of these substances leads to the development and progression of the nervous, cardiovascular and immune systems disorders as well as to the disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and other body systems. The environmental pollution caused by exhaust gases generated through combustion of gasoline, burning of mazut, use of such organic solvents as acetone, benzene, etc. deserves special mention. All volatile organic solvents are narcotics as a matter of fact, and they adversely affect the nervous system. These poisons enter the human body through the respiratory organs, skin and the digestive tract and accumulate in the nervous and fatty tissues. Their toxicity varies depending on their chemical structure, ratio of distribution in tissues and elimination rates.