Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development

en Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Induced by Occupational Inhalation Exposure to N2O, an Anesthetic Gas Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Original articles <div style="text-align: justify;">Introduction: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the most common anesthetic gas used in operating rooms. The major objective of this investigation is to measure N2O values in two modes: first, when the ventilation system is on, and second, when it is off; and to determine the biomarkers of oxidative stress associated with this exposure among operating room personnel. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 operating room personnel as the N2O exposed group, and on 60 nurses as the referent group. N2O concentrations were determined according to NIOSH method 6600. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were also measured. Results: The concentrations of N2O in the presence and absence of ventilation systems were significantly higher than the recommended exposure limit (REL) of 25 ppm recommended by NIOSH. The levels of TAC and SOD were significantly lower in participants exposed to N2O in comparison with the referent group. Adjusted for age, work experience, and sex, exposure to N2O was found to be an occupational risk factor for low levels of TAC and SOD, so that exposure to N2O reduced TAC and SOD levels by 0.16 mM and 0.75 U/ml, respectively. Conclusion: The present study shows that the operating room personnel are exposed to levels of N2O several times more than the REL of this gas and this heavy exposure is associated with a significant increase in oxidative stress. </div> Nitrous Oxide, Operating Rooms, Oxidative Stress, Ventilation, Anesthetics. 2205 2213 http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-276-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Masoud Neghab masoudneghab@yahoo.com 0000-0003-0176-7687 Yes Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Fatemeh Kargar-Shouroki kargar_st@yahoo.com 0000-0002-8700-5087 No Industrial Diseases Research Center, Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Saeed Yousefinejad yousefinejad.s@gmail.com 0000-0001-5940-1229 No Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Hamzeh Alipour alipourh3@gmail.com 0000-0001-6896-0559 No Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Hossein Mozdarani mozdarani@gmail.com 0000-0002-2080-3287 No Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Reza Fardid rfardid@gmail.com 0000-0002-4089-4745 No Department of Radiology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Vida Sadat Anoosheh anooshehvida@gmail.com 0000-0001-8568-7355 No Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Masoud Rostami mrostami@yazd.ac.ir 0000-0001-5200-8678 No Department of Languages and Literature, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.