Determination of the levels of some heavy metals in industrial workers

Abstract

Background: Heavy metals are the major sources of globally distributed pollutants in our environment and account for substantial portion of many disorders in the body. This study investigated the levels of some heavy metals; mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) as well as assessed the kidney and liver function tests in industrial workers who have been occupationally exposed. Method: Six millimeters of blood specimen were collected into non-anticoagulant bottles from a total number of 111 participants (industrial workers and control subjects). The participants were grouped into Groups 1, 2, 3 and control. The heavy metals (Hg, Pd, As and Cd) were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Scrum urea, creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, conjugated bilirubin and total bilirubin were determined using spectrophotometric methods. Results: The results showed significant increases (p ,