Adverse health outcomes in residents exposed to cement dust

Abstract

This study investigated the adverse health outcomes and urinary heavy metal levels in residents exposed to cement dust, compared to those who were not exposed. A total of 374 residents (276 for the exposed group and 98 for the unexposed group) were surveyed. Participant demographics, health-related behaviors (smoking and drinking), medical history, and clinical symptoms were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Urinary metal levels were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). Clinical adverse health outcomes such as asthma, rhinitis, and dermatitis were found to be more common in the group exposed to cement dust than in the unexposed group. Urinary levels of chromium and mercury were found to be significantly higher in the exposed group compared to the unexposed group. A limitation of this study is that we did not measure air pollution and heavy metals in local soils and plants and the cement dust could not be concluded as the unique origin of those metals because of other sources of those metals. Although these limitation are, these results suggest that exposure to cement dust may lead to chronic symptoms and disease.