Effect of Pb- exposure on Serum Calcium and Phosphorus Components among Pb- Battery Manufacturing Workers

Most of the studies assessed the effect of Pb-exposure on serum total calcium and phosphorus. This study assessed the effect of Pb- exposure on serum total calcium (TCa2+) and phosphorus (P) components such as corrected calcium (CCa2+), ionized calcium (ICa2+), percentage of ICa2+from TCa2+, percentage of ICa2+from CCa2+, ratios of TCa2+: P, CCa2+: P, ICa2+: P and product of Ca2+ and P in workers of different category of Pb-exposure. This study enrolled 176 male Pb-exposed workers and categorized into two groups based on blood lead levels (BLLs) recommended by BEI-ACGIH. The low Pb-exposure group is 86 workers with their BLLs is ≤ 30 µg/dL and high Pb-exposure is 90 workers with their BLLs is > 30 µg/dL). 80 healthy workers with no occupational exposure to Pb were included them as control for the comparison. The serum calcium, phosphorus and albumin concentrations were done by using diagnostic kit methods. BLLs were estimated by using the flame atomic absorption spectrometric method. The serum TCa2+, CCa2+ and ICa2+ were significantly decreased in low and high Pb-exposure groups as compared to control. The ratios of TCa2+: P, CCa2+: P, ICa2+: P was significantly decreased in the high Pb-exposure as compared to low Pb–exposure and controls. Product of TCa2+X P was significantly increased in the high Pb-exposure group as compared to low Pb- exposure. A negative association was noted between BLLs and serum TCa2+, ICa2+and CCa2+ in a high Pb- exposure group. The components of serum calcium and phosphorus were significantly altered in Pb- exposed workers

Assessment of Lead Exposure and Urinary-δ-aminolevulinic Acid Levels in Male Lead Acid Battery Workers in Tamil Nadu, India

Background. Exposure to lead (Pb) affects multiple health outcomes and physiological systems. In adults, even small increases in blood Pb levels have been associated with decreased glomerular filtration rate, increased risk of hypertension and increased incidence of essential tremor. To date, there have been few Pb-exposure assessments using the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations. Objective. The aim of the present study was to assess Pb-exposure in terms of elevated blood lead levels (BLL) and urinary-δ-aminolevulinic acid (U-δ-ALA) levels of workers exposed to Pb in the lead acid battery industry in Tamil Nadu, India based on Pb exposure regulations set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and OSHA. Materials and Methods. BLLs and U-δ-ALA were estimated in 449 male workers exposed to Pb across ten different job categories in a lead acid battery factory. Worker BLLs were estimated using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and U-δ-ALA was estimated using spectrophotometry. Results. The Biological Exposure Index of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (BEI-ACGIH) were used to assess Pb exposure. BLLs 30 μg/dL. The present study also assessed Pb exposure using OSHA regulations and found that 83.3% of workers had BLLs 40 μg/dL. Among these workers, 0.7% of workers had BLLs >60 μg/dL. An excessive excretion of U-δ-ALA (20–40 mg/L) was noted in pasting area workers (2.6%) followed by executives (2.2%) and assembly workers (0.9%). Conclusions. Workers in the job categories of pasting and assembly, as well as executives, are at high risk of Pb exposure compared to other job categories. We recommend placing humidifiers on the roof and keeping a water bath closer the to plate cutting area to reduce fugitive Pb dust emissions. We recommended workers with BLLs >60 μg/dL be removed from jobs involving Pb exposure and return to work only when their BLLs are <40 μg/dL. Participant consent. Obtained Ethics Approval. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Regional Occupational Health Centre (Southern) Bengaluru, part of the National Institute of Occupational Health of India. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests