Abstract
Individuals who move from one place to another in search of recyclable goods for financial benefits or other purposes are known as wastes pickers. This study aimed on assessment of some toxico-inflammatory, hepato-renal and cardio-oxidative-stress biomarkers among wastes pickers in Ajegunle, Lagos State, Nigeria. Five milliliters of blood specimens were withdrawn from each of the 120 participants into lithium heparin anticoagulated bottles respectively. This was followed by the measurements of some biomarkers with data analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and ANOVA used for statistical analysis. There were significant elevations (p=0.00) in the mean values for lead, cadmium (toxic heavy metals), C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 (inflammatory biomarkers) in wastes pickers with working experience of < 2 years, 2-5 years and > 5 years as compared with that of the control group . Also, there was significant elevation (p=0.02) in the mean values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase (liver enzymes) in wastes pickers with > 5 years working experience whereas wastes pickers with < 2 and 2-5 years working experience did not reveal any significant alterations (p > 0.05) in the mean values of these liver enzymes when compared with the control group. There were significant elevations in the mean values for glutathione peroxidase (p=0.02) and malondialdehyde (p=0.03) (oxidative-stress biomarkers) in wastes pickers with working experience of < 2 years, 2-5 years and > 5 years as compared with the control group. However, no significant alterations (p > 0.05) were seen in the mean values of creatinine and urea (renal biomarkers) and cardiovascular biomarkers (troponin-1 and creatinekinase-MB) among the wastes pickers with various working experiences. It is concluded that chronic roadside wastes pickers may be prone to risk of heavy metals poisoning, inflammatory disorder, hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress. Therefore, it is recommended that roadside wastes pickers should be embraced by the appropriate authorities and enlightened to comply with safety precautions when discharging their duties.
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