Abstract

Background: Chemical exposure of human by inhalation or skin exposure to confined space is two stressful events that may cause trauma. In case of aircraft maintenance, workers have to withstand the confined space with poorly-ventilated environment, where they are exposed to toxic hazardous vapor coming from the jet fuel which mainly is kerosene based (>98%). The use of salivary cortisol is very well established stress biomarker and hence can be used as a tool to measure stress level.

Aims and Objectives: This study sought to find out the effect of exposure to aircraft fuel tank during maintenance work on the salivary cortisol secretion.

Materials and Methods: A total of 95 healthy volunteers (67 males, 28 females) aged between 17 and 25 years old took part in this study. Saliva samples were collected before and after fuel tank entry for 15 min. Cortisol concentration was determined by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) Salivary cortisol kit by Salimetrics.

Results: The cortisol level increased significantly (P=0.001) after exposure to kerosene vapor and confined space. The means of cortisol levels before and after fuel tank entry were 0.28 μg/dL and 0.35 μg/dL, respectively. The hostile characteristic of a confined space is an excellent location to form hazardous concentrations since kerosene contains chemicals with a vapor density greater than air.

Conclusion: This study indicated that exposure to kerosene vapor and confined space will cause a physiological stress and trigger a physiological response in the body of the exposed person.

Key words: Aircraft Fuel Tank, Confined Space, Jet Fuel, Kerosene Vapor, Salivary Cortisol and Stress