Almost every workplace has a threat in the form of hazardous chemicals. One source of danger is found in printing industry1. One of the chemicals in question is toluene2. Toluene is safe for the environment and health if it does not exceed the threshold value of 50ppm3.
In printing, toluene is used as an organic solvent used in various processes4. Aside from being a solvent, the volatile property makes it desirable as a fast-drying and useful printing material on high-speed printing presses. Its use dominates work activities (75%). The biggest use of toluene (around 50–200 ppm or 188 mg / m3) is done in the automatic cleaning process5.
Toluene (C6H5CH3) is an aromatic hydrocarbon group with the physical properties of colorless, sweet-smelling and spicy liquid like benzene. Toluene is soluble in diethyl ether, ethanol, benzene, chloroform, glacial acetic acid, carbon disulfide and acetone, insoluble in cold water with water solubility of 0, 561 g / L at 25 oC6 7. Short-term toluene exposure occurs through inhalation, eye contact, skin contact and swallowing. In the long run this enters the body by inhalation. It causes damage to the liver and kidneys, peripheral nerve neuropathy, changes in the bone marrow, etc. This can happen if workers do not use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks9.
Activities to reduce or even eliminate toxins in chemical compounds in the body that usually use biotransformation10 11. Biotransformation is a change in catalysts that are catalyzed by certain enzymes in living things. The aim is to convert nonpolar to polar, then hydrophilic so that it can be removed from the body. Biotransformation occurs in two phases. The first phase is the functional phase where the functional group matches the oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis reactions. Then the second phase is the phase of the conjugate reaction which involves several types of endogenous metabolites in the body in the endoplasmic reticulum12.
This can be performed by using food as a detoxification. The food ingredients used need to contain certain substances, for example CYP2E1 enzyme and Glutathione. Foods that contain CYP2E1 include fish oil, salmon and beef liver13. Foods that contain glutathione are asparagus, avocados and grapes14. This is in line with a research conducted by Abdul Rohim Tualeka, et al in 2019 on Requirements Prediction for Toluene Detox with Foods Intake Rich in CYP2E1 Enzyme and Glycine to Prevent Nerve and Kidney Damage at Shoe Home Industry Workers in Romokalisari Surabaya, which concluded that the level of adequacy everyone's enzymes and glycine CYP2E1 are different and varied. This suggests that the greater the concentration of toluene, the greater the food requirements which are rich in the enzyme and CYP2E1 glycine15. Even so, research using the food approach as a detoxification of toluene is limited.
Based on the background above, this study aims to calculate the intake of foods rich in CYP2E1 enzymes, namely fish oil, salmon and beef liver as well as glutathione-rich foods such as asparagus, avocados and grapes as detoxification of toluene in the printing industry in Surabaya. An effective dose is also needed for detoxification of toluene.