Reprinted from Preventive Strategies for Living in a Chemical World
Volume 837 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
December 26, 1997
Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether
Antibodies among Gasoline Service
Station Attendants
ARISTO VOJDANI, a,b,c GALAL NAMATALLa,c AND
NACHMAN BRAUTBARd
bImmunosciences Lab., Inc.
Beverly Hills, California 90211
cDivision of Dermatology
Department of Medicine
Drew University School of Medicine and Science
Los Angeles, California 90059
dDepartment of Medicine
University of Southern California School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California 90059
Abstract
Occupational exposure to petroleum products (gasoline) and elevated blood levels of
MTBE have been demonstrated among gasoline station attendants. While MTBE and its
metabolites have been considered environmentally inert, immunologically these materials
could be reactive.
This study was conducted to assess
the immunological reactivity of humans to MTBE. Blood samples from 24 gasoline station
attendants and 12 healthy controls were examined for levels of IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE
against MTBE by ELISA. In the gasoline-exposed group 7 out of 24 exhibited optical
densities or antibody levels of 3-15-fold (OD 0.6-2.68) of the levels detected in controls
(OD < 0.2).
The detected antibodies both
against MTBE-BSA or MTBE-HSA were of IgG and IgM but not IgA or IgE isotypes. These
antibodies at much lower levels (OD of 0.45) were detected in only 1 of the 12 healthy
control groups. The specificity of these antibodies was evidenced by absorption of MTBE
antibodies in different sera using the same haptenic group bound to a different carrier.
These results indicate that immune reactions to MTBE do occur through hapten carrier
reactions which, in some individuals, end with specific IgG and IgM production. |
