Metal Dust Exposure Caused Changes in Blood Indices and Serum Proteins
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Amongst the industrial hubs in Pakistan, Wazirabad is renowned for its cutlery industry. Cutlery industry generates heaps of multi-metallic dust in whetting units during the processing of stain fewer steel tools. This dust comprises certain potentially toxic and even carcinogenic constituents, thus pose a serious health threat to the workers involved in its processing. Laborers health and safety is something quite non-seriously considered in most of the developing countries, no different is Pakistan. Present exploration was aimed at searching for the differences, in blood profile and quantitative serum protein profile of a group of laborers in cutlery industry that are directly and regularly exposed to multi-metallic dust.
Materials and Methods: After taking written consent from the participants, blood samples were drawn for hematological analysis and serum analysis. Hematological analysis was performed with hematological analyzer and serum was subjected to SDS gel electrophoresis for protein profiling.
Results: Statistically significant changes were observed in the number of RBCs, MCV, HCT and RDW, whereas platelet count was decreased in experimental groups when compared to control group. Serum protein profiling using SDS-PAGE revealed the protein fractions ranging from 73 to 287 kDa. Densitometric analysis has shown changes in the serum proteins of the subjects exposed to metal dust.
Conclusion: Chronic exposure to the metal dust induce changes in the hematological parameters as well as serum proteins. The industrial workers should ensure the use of industry specific personal safety equipment.
Key words: Health hazard, Hematology, Metals, Metal dust, Proteins, SDS-PAGE.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Abbasi, M. H., Khawar, B., & Mehmood, R. (2015). Changes in proteins, transaminases activity and leucocyte count during Nerium oleander induced toxicosis in Wistar rats. Biologia, 61 (1), 47-53.
Antonini, J. M., Taylor, M. D., Zimmer, A. T., & Roberts, J. R. (2004). Pulmonary responses to welding fumes: role of metal constituents. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A, 67(3), 233–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/15287390490 266909 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15287390490266909
Breuer, W., Hershko, C., & Cabantchik, Z. I. (2000). The importance of non-transferrin bound iron in disorders of iron metabolism. Transfusion Science, 23(3), 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0955-3886(00)00087-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0955-3886(00)00087-4
Chaudhry, N. I., Khalid, Z. B., & Farooq, H. (2018). Analyzing the interaction among factors hindering the growth of SMEs: Evidence from the cutlery sector of Pakistan. Abasyn Journal of Social Sciences, 11(1), 21-36.
Corley, R. B. (2005). Detection and Analysis of Proteins. In: A Guide to Methods in the Biomedical Sciences. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-22845-4_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-22845-4_1
England, J. M., & Bain, B. J. (1976). Total and differential leucocyte count. British Journal of Haematology, 33(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2141.1976.tb00966.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2141.1976.tb00966.x
ESRI (2010). ArcGIS Desktop: Version 10.1. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute.
Fischbach, F. T., & Dunning, M. B. (2009). A manual of laboratory and diagnostic tests. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Hussain, A., Qazi, J. I., Ali, S., Shakir, H., A., & Ullah, N. (2013). Health imperilments in workers of a cutlery industrial complex from Pakistan: A preliminary survey. Biologia, 59(1), 43–50.
Hussain, S. T., Khan, U., Malik, K., Z., & Faheem, A. (2012). Constraints faced by industry in Punjab, Pakistan. The Lahore Journal of Economics, 17, 135–189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35536/lje.2012.v17.isp.a7
Jomova, K., & Valko, M. (2011). Advances in metal-induced oxidative stress and human disease. Toxicology, 283(2-3), 65–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2011.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2011.03.001
Kamath, S., & Lip, G. Y. (2003). Fibrinogen: biochemistry, epidemiology and determinants. QJM: Monthly Journal of the Association of Physicians, 96(10), 711–729. https://doi.org/ 10.1093/qjmed/hcg129 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcg129
Khan, N. (2018). Critical Review of cottage and small-scale industries in Pakistan. Industrial Engineering Letters, 8(3), 13-22.
Khowaja, I. A., & KhaskhelI, A. (2018). Impact of institutional reforms on the development of small and medium enterprise sector versus the large-scale industry of Pakistan. Grassroots, 48(1), 115-140.
Laemmli U. K. (1970). Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature, 227(5259), 680–685. https://doi.org/10.1038/227680a0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/227680a0
Mehmood, R., & Sheikh, N. (2015). Effect of metal dust on workers of cutlery industry in Wazirabad, Pakistan. Biologia, 61 (2), 319–324.
Munker, R., Hiller, E., Glass, J., Paquette, R. (2007). Modern Hematology: Biology and Clinical Management. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-149-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-149-9
Qazi, J. I., Nasreen, Z., Nazir, S. (2009). Effects of inhalation of iron emission particles on some lung cellular parameters in mice. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 41(2), 149–153.
Ramadori, P., Sheikh, N., Ahmad, G., Dudas, J., & Ramadori, G. (2010). Hepatic changes of erythropoietin gene expression in a rat model of acute-phase response. Liver international, 30(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-3231.2009.02131.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-3231.2009.02131.x
Santore, R. C., Di Toro, D. M., Paquin, P. R., Allen, H. E., & Meyer, J. S. (2001). Biotic ligand model of the acute toxicity of metals. 2. Application to acute copper toxicity in freshwater fish and Daphnia. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 20(10), 2397–2402. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620201035 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620201035
Shiraishi, K., Matsuzaki, S., Ishida, H., & Nakazawa, H. (1993). Impaired erythrocyte deformability and membrane fluidity in alcoholic liver disease: participation in disturbed hepatic microcirculation. Alcohol and Alcoholism Supplement, 1A, 59–64. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/28.supplement_1a.59 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/28.Supplement_1A.59
Turgeon, M. L., (2005). Clinical Hematology: Theory and Procedures. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Zecca, L., Youdim, M. B., Riederer, P., Connor, J. R., & Crichton, R. R. (2004). Iron, brain ageing and neurodegenerative disorders. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 5(11), 863–873. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1537 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1537