Khan Changaiz, Rehman Muhammad Yasir Abdur, Malik Riffat Naseem
Environmental Health Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 May;29(21):31164-31179. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-18294-5. Epub 2022 Jan 10.
Exposure to heavy metals has been associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) among exposed individuals in occupational and environmental settings. Dust is considered a significant contributor to airborne metal exposure, and previous data suggest that their levels in dust may vary based on its particle sizes. However, no biomonitoring study has been reported so far to address the metal-induced oxidative stress using different dust fractions, particularly in occupational settings. We designed a systematic cross-sectional study involving 110 chromite mine workers stratified into loaders (n = 28), extractors (n = 47) and operators (n = 35), and controls (n = 30) to find out the association between dust-bound metal exposure and oxidative stress using urinary creatinine-adjusted metal level as a biomarker of metal exposure. Results suggested elevated urinary levels of Cr 51.34 ± 8.6 along with Pb 34.29 ± 4.39, Cd 21.1 ± 2.6, and Ni 18.98 ± 3.01 µg/g creatinine in exposed (extractor group) workers. Correlating metal levels with oxidative stress revealed elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of 62.28 ± 5.52 nM/dl among the extractors showing high levels of lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, blood superoxide dismutase (SOD) was also found significantly correlated (P = 0.000) with urinary toxic metal levels among exposed workers. We report the association between metal exposure and oxidative stress in exposed mining workers that may give rise to workers' susceptibility towards genetic and non-genetic health implications. The current study emphasized on the need for exposure control measures in the chromite ore mining activity areas.
在职业和环境环境中，接触重金属与接触者体内活性氧（ROS）的产生有关。灰尘被认为是空气中金属暴露的一个重要来源，先前的数据表明，灰尘中金属的含量可能因其粒径不同而有所变化。然而，到目前为止，尚未有生物监测研究报道使用不同粒径的粉尘来解决金属诱导的氧化应激问题，特别是在职业环境中。我们设计了一项系统性横断面研究，纳入了110名铬铁矿工人，分为装载机操作工（n = 28）、采掘工（n = 47）和操作员（n = 35），以及对照组（n = 30），以尿肌酐校正的金属水平作为金属暴露的生物标志物，来探究粉尘结合金属暴露与氧化应激之间的关联。结果显示，暴露组（采掘工组）工人的尿铬水平升高至51.34±8.6，同时铅为34.29±4.39、镉为21.1±2.6、镍为18.98±3.01µg/g肌酐。将金属水平与氧化应激相关联发现，采掘工中丙二醛（MDA）水平升高至62.28±5.52nM/dl，表明脂质过氧化水平较高。此外，还发现暴露工人的血液超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）与尿中有毒金属水平也存在显著相关性（P = 0.000）。我们报告了暴露的采矿工人中金属暴露与氧化应激之间的关联，这可能会增加工人对遗传和非遗传健康影响的易感性。当前研究强调了在铬铁矿开采活动区域采取接触控制措施的必要性。
