No increase in chromosome aberrations in workers from an oil catalytic cracking plant

A study of structural chromosome aberration frequencies in blood lymphocytes was performed in a group of 20 oil catalytic cracking unit workers and in 26 subjects belonging to the office staff of an oil refining plant, as well as in 35 matched controls. Subjects in the latter group were of the same sex (males) and similar age as the exposed group, and had similar smoking habits. Benzo[a]pyrene levels in workplace air samples were also determined. The cytogenetic analysis failed to show any differences between the exposed and control groups. A slight increase in benzo[a]pyrene level above the Cuban national standard of 1 ng/m3 was found during the air sample analysis in the oil catalytic cracking unit.