Volatile aromatic hydrocarbons are compounds of the cyclic hydrocarbons group. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds consisting of, as its name says, carbon and hydrogen. Volatile aromatic hydrocarbons are easily absorbed anto the environment and in contact with people due to their volatility. In contact with humans through their skin or by inhalation, they enter the body and are retained. Depending in their properties, they can cause different problem sin humans, from problems in digestive, bone and nervous system through the problem sin the respiratory and vascular system. This paper deals with one group of aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, or in short BTEX. The concentrations of these compounds in human body, in this work in the urine, is compared with the concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), more precisely MMP-2 i MMP-9, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP), more precisely TIMP-1 i TIMP-2, to express their impact on the health of the exposed population. The BTEX assay is performed with a gas chromatograph connected to the mass spectrometer with static headspace method (SHS), while determination of MMP and TIMP is performed by ELISA test. In addition to testing BTEX, MMP and TIMP in urine, lung functions were tested by spirometry using a mobile spirometer. As a control group were group of volunteers from the Mali Lošinj area where there is no influence of the industry or any other additional pollutant with BTEX compounds. A volunteer group of people from he area of Kostrena municipality, where Ina Urinj oil refinery and Viktor Lenac shipyard are located, were exhibited for the exposed population. After examination of the results it was noticed a statistically significant increase in toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylenes, o-xylenes and MMP-9 enzymes in urine of Kostrena Municipality. There was also a statistically significant decrease in lung functions in Kostrena Municipality examinees.