Toxicological Effects of Inhaled Crude Oil Vapor.

Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to assess the toxicological consequences of crude oil vapor (COV) exposure in the workplace through evaluation of the most current epidemiologic and laboratory-based studies in the literature.

Recent findings: Crude oil is a naturally occuring mixture of hydrocarbon deposits, inorganic and organic chemical compounds. Workers engaged in upstream processes of oil extraction are exposed to a number of risks and hazards, including getting crude oil on their skin or inhaling crude oil vapor. There have been several reports of workers who died as a result of inhalation of high levels of COV released upon opening thief hatches atop oil storage tanks. Although many investigations into the toxicity of specific hydrocarbons following inhalation during downstream oil processing have been conducted, there is a paucity of information on the potential toxicity of COV exposure itself. This review assesses current knowledge of the toxicological consequences of exposures to COV in the workplace.