ASSESSMENT OF HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES AMONG WORKERS IN SILVER JEWELRY UNITS

Abstract

Objective: Workers in the silver jewelry manufacturing units are exposed to heavy metals and toxic compounds during manufacturing. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the hematological indices among the workers in silver jewelry manufacturing units.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in various silver jewelry manufacturing units located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. One hundred and forty eight exposed and 35 unexposed (control) participants were included in this study. Their hematological indices were assessed.Results: There was significant (p<0.05) increase of serum silver (Ag) and hematological profile such as red blood cell (RBC), hematocrit, and the hemoglobin levels of exposure groups (B, C, D, and E) were found to be significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to control group (A). There was also significant increase (p<0.05) in differential count and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), platelet (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), and mean platelet volume (MPV) levels in exposed groups (B, C, D, and E) than controls (A).Conclusion: Decrease in RBC indices and the increased differential count of MCH, MCHC, PLT, PDW, and MPV levels might be due to the exposure to Ag in the jewelry units. In view of these results, it appears that ionized Ag induces hematological disturbances and the present study clearly establish that there were minimal negative effects of Ag exposure on hematological indices.