Senior medical doctors have urged pregnant women to avoid constant exposure to petrol fumes, warning that it could lead to childhood leukaemia, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and developmental problems in their babies.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The experts further explained that prolonged exposure to petrol fumes could also cause gestational diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and reproductive problems in pregnant women, while increasing the risk of neuro-developmental issues and lung immaturity in their babies.

In separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the health professors noted that petrol fumes contain volatile organic compounds, including benzene, a well-established human carcinogen linked to blood cancers, which pose significant risks to both mother and unborn child during pregnancy.

The physicians further advised pregnant women working at fuel stations or in jobs requiring constant petrol exposure to seek immediate redeployment and use protective equipment where exposure is unavoidable.

Aside from the effects of petrol fumes in pregnant women, the exposure in humans generally irritates the eyes, nose, and throat, causes headaches, dizziness, and nausea, and could worsen asthma or breathing problems.

A research, titled “Effects of Gasoline Inhalation on Menstrual Characteristics and the Hormonal Profile of Female Petrol Pump Workers,” found that women exposed to petrol fumes were significantly more likely to experience abnormal menstrual cycles and altered hormone levels compared with those not exposed.

The study also found persistently low levels of estradiol (a naturally occurring steroid hormone and the primary female sex hormone) and fluctuations in other reproductive hormones among the exposed women, suggesting disruption of normal ovarian function, leading to long-term fertility problems.

In Nigeria, men and women work as fuel attendants, dispensing fuel and collecting payments from customers, as the country has yet to adopt fully automated, unmanned fuel stations.

Commenting on the issue, Emeritus Professor Ifeoma Okoye explained that petrol fumes are a mix of chemicals called volatile organic compounds, including benzene and other solvents.

She noted that at fuel stations, exposure can be repeated and prolonged, especially during dispensing, tank refilling, and in poorly ventilated areas. Professor Okoye said:

“Pregnancy is a sensitive window. What the mother breathes can affect her oxygen levels, her blood, and the baby’s growth, so it is safer to reduce or avoid routine exposure as much as possible.”

The professor identified two broad categories of risks for pregnant women exposed to petrol fumes, stating that immediate short-term effects on the mother include headache, dizziness, nausea, throat and eye irritation, cough, worsening asthma, and fatigue, especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated environments.

She added that pregnancy-related risks with higher or repeated exposure include miscarriage, preterm delivery, and low birth weight or poor foetal growth. The professor continued:

“Evidence from occupational and environmental studies on solvents and related exposures links higher exposure with risks such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, and low birth weight or poor foetal growth.

Petrol work can also involve exposure to vehicle exhaust and heat stress, which can further strain the body during pregnancy.”

On cancer risks, Okoye explained that the main concern is benzene, which is most strongly linked to blood cancers, notably leukaemia, after significant, long-term exposure.

She, however, noted that a brief or occasional exposure, such as passing by a station, is unlikely to translate into a measurable cancer risk, adding that chronic occupational exposure over time is the problem.

“That is why pregnant women should be posted away from routine fuel fume exposure,” the founder of Breast without Spot said.

For pregnant women who have been exposed to fuel, Okoye advised them not to panic but to take practical and medical steps. She stated:

“Stop or reduce exposure immediately by moving away from the source and ensuring good ventilation. Inform your antenatal care provider or obstetrician and, if applicable, request a workplace adjustment with redeployment away from the pump or tank area.

Seek urgent medical attention if there is chest tightness, severe headache, fainting, vomiting, confusion, or worsening breathing.

At the clinic, the doctor may decide, based on symptoms and exposure history, whether to check things like general blood count, especially if there has been prolonged exposure, and to ensure routine pregnancy monitoring, including baby’s growth checks, stays on track.”

The radiologist emphasised that in pregnancy, the safest approach is prevention and minimising exposure, adding that where exposure is unavoidable, it should be reduced substantially through job redeployment and strict workplace controls.

Also speaking, the National President of the Endocrine and Metabolism Society of Nigeria, Prof Andrew Uloko, described pregnancy as a special and delicate period in the life of a woman and the unborn child.

The Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at Bayero University, Kano, stated that exposure to chemicals like petrol, which contains many dangerous components, would affect the health of the mother and baby very adversely. Uloko said:

“It is not advisable for pregnant women to be exposed to significant quantities of petrol in the short term, or to moderate quantities of exposure over prolonged periods of time. It affects the overall health and affects the outcome of the pregnancy.”

The Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist with the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, explained that constant exposure to petrol during pregnancy increases the risk of the child being born with leukaemia, a childhood cancer. He stated,

“It has also been shown to cause low birth weight or premature deliveries. A preterm baby is exposed to so many problems because it is not due for delivery.

Some of the delicate processes the child needs to pass through to be able to withstand the environment will be seriously lacking in a premature or preterm baby.”

Uloko further noted that the child is also exposed to developmental issues ranging from organs that are not well-formed to neurodevelopmental issues, central nervous system involvement, brain involvement, lung immaturity, asthma, and airway problems. The endocrinologist said:

“The stronger the exposure of the mother, the higher the chance or the more likelihood of these problems in the children.

It is difficult to define what an acceptable level of exposure is, but it is better to advise that pregnant women avoid exposure to petrol. I would not advise a pregnant woman to be at the gas station to attend to customers as a fuel attendant.”

On endocrine effects, the EMSON president explained that children born to mothers exposed to petrol or gasoline can suffer in the future from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, noting that the risk can be heightened.

He added that some of the chemical components of petrol are established endocrine disruptors capable of modulating or affecting the hormonal system of an individual. The professor stated:

“The thyroid gland can be adversely affected. In the mother, you could have some ongoing disruption in thyroid function to the extent that it can result in some acute or subclinical hypothyroidism. The reverse may be true for the newborn, who may develop hyperthyroidism.

Basically, we are talking about low thyroid hormone production and low thyroid hormone function in hypothyroidism, and excessive thyroid hormone production or excessive thyroid gland activity in hyperthyroidism in children.”

Uloko further noted that reproductive problems are another concern, stating that one of the major causes of fertility problems is endocrine. He said:

“If the mother is exposed to petrol, there will be a distortion or imbalance in her ovarian function. The axis from the brain to the gonads, which we call the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis, can be affected significantly. Infertility can become a major problem.”

The endocrinologist added that a woman who is pregnant and exposed to petrol over a prolonged period or a significantly high quantity can develop gestational diabetes.

“This is diabetes occurring in a woman who is not previously known to have diabetes, but on the occasion of pregnancy, just because of exposure to petrol, can develop gestational diabetes.

The pathway to this is via the interaction of these chemical substances in petrol with the hormonal system of the woman, leading to the development of gestational diabetes,” Uloko explained.

On prevention, the professor advised that the best thing is to avoid contact of a pregnant woman with petrol as much as possible.

He noted that exposure to petrol can come in varied forms, either direct bodily contact or by inhalation of petrol fumes, adding that under no circumstances should a pregnant woman be allowed to sniff petrol or to inhale petrol.

“Contact in the form of bodily contact or inhalation should be avoided as much as possible. In an environment where it is inevitable that there will be the presence of petrol and the pregnant woman has to be in that kind of place, we encourage proper ventilation of the environment. So you don’t have a concentration of large quantities of chemicals in a confined space,” the endocrinologist stated.

Uloko advised that where it becomes inevitable that the pregnant woman has to come close to petrol, the use of protective equipment should be encouraged, noting that some of this protective equipment may just be something as simple as wearing a face mask to reduce the amount of inhalation, or wearing an apron that will avoid direct bodily contact with petrol.

He urged pregnant women who have been unduly exposed to petrol to urgently seek medical help, adding that they should go to the hospital to meet a qualified medical doctor, explain the situation, and receive proper evaluation, assessment, and appropriate treatment to save the life of the mother and the unborn child.

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