I'm working as a mechanic and i'm exposed to gasoline
everynow and then.My hand normally appear red after after doing
my work...Is it hazardous to my skin? Our chemistry professor in college said it goes to the liver because it's absorbed through your skin. Guyton & Hall's "Textbook of Medical Physiology" eleventh edition says chemical exposure is one of the causes of cancer, so I'd group gasoline in with that. Not sure if it would be skin cancer or liver cancer. Their text is used in most mainstream medical curriculums and is the bible when it comes to physiology. They say on page 41 - "probabability of mutations can be increased manyfold when a person is exposed to certain chemical, physical, or biological factors, including the following:
1. It is well known that ionizing radiation, such as x-rays, gamma rays, and particle radiation from radiocative substances, and even ultraviolet light can predispose individuals to cancer. Ions formed in tussue cells under the influence of such radiation are highly reactive and can rupture DNA strands, thus causing many mutations.
2. Chemical substances of certain types also have a high propensity for causing mutations. It was discovered long ago that various aniline dye deritatives are likely to cause cancer, so that workers in chemical plants producing such substances, if unprotected, have a special predisposition to cancer. Chemical substances that can cause mutation are called carcinogens. That carcinogens that currently cause the greatest number of deaths are those in cigarette smoke. They cause about one quarter of all cancer deaths.
3. Physical irritants also can lead to cancer, such as continued abrasion of the linings of the intestinal tract by some types of food. The damage to the tissues leads to rapid mitotic replacement of the cells. The more rapid the mitosis, the greater the chance for mutation.
4. In many families, there is a strong hereditary tendency to cancer. This results from the fact that most cancers require not one mutation but two or more mutations before cancer occurs. In those families that are particularly predisposed to cancer, it is presumed that one or more cancerous genes are already mutated in the inherited genome. Therefore, far fewer additional mutations must take place in such family members before a cancer begins to grow.
5. In laboratory animals, certain types of viruses can cause some kinds of cancer, including leukemia. This usually results in one of two ways. In the case of DNA viruses, the DNA strand of the virus can insert itself directly into one of the chromosomes and thereby cause a mutation that leads to cancer. In the case of RNA viruses, some of these carry with them an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that causes DNA to be transcribed from the RNA. The transcribed DNA then inserts itself into the animal cell genome, leading to cancer." well there is no real proof that it does the same as for diesel however it is known that diesel is carcinogenic.
Mechanics should use a barrier cream on the hands and should wash hands frequently and reapply the barrier cream. Many mechanics these days also wear gloves.
frankly I used to work o engines etc and could never do it wearing gloves so barrier cream was my defence. |
