Assessment of workers health exposed to metal dust in mineral industries in Egypt / Yosri Ahmed Fahim ; Supervised Eman Ali Ragab , Heba Mohamed kamal , Marwa Samir Mostafa

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Biochemistry

Metals are the major occupational hazards in foundry workers. Metals exposure may result, thyroid disruption, oxidative stress, liver and kidney toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to metals dust and possible health effect among foundry workers. This study included 60 male workers (exposure group) and 28males (control). Environmental and biological exposure to aluminum, copper, lead, zinc were respectively examined by measuring their concentration in the air of work environment, as well as in blood and urine by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (720 ICP-OES). The oxidative damage was determined by measuring serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and blood glutathione reduced (GSH) levels as a biomarker of oxidative stress. Free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxin (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured as thyroid profiles. Some laboratory investigations were investigated in the form of: CBC, liver and kidney functions. Environmental measurements in the workplace were below the maximum allowable limits (MAL) according to international regulations and Egyptian environmental law 4 except for aluminum and lead levels were above MAL according to ACGIH. Blood metal analysis revealed significantly elevated levels of metals in workers for B-Al, B-Cu, B-Pb and B-Zn. It was found that composite exposure index (CEI) values, serum MDA and FT3 values were significantly higher in exposed workers (P<0.0001, separately), while TSH and GSH levels were significantly lower in exposed workers as compared to controls (P<0.0001, separately), but there were no statistically significant difference in FT4 P>0.05

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