Heavy metals in hair and nails as markers of occupational hazard among welders working in United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

Studies have shown that hair and nail samples can be used as a marker to assess occupational exposure to heavy metals. The objective of this study was to estimate the levels of heavy metals: Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd), and Manganese (Mn) in hair and nail samples of welders working in United Arab Emirates and to find an association between the heavy metal concentration with the parameters like smoking habits, exposure/day, years of experience and use of protective personal equipment (PPE). Hair and toes nail samples were collected from exposed and non-exposed subjects with respect to, social habits, exposure/day and years of welding experience. The levels of Pb, Cd, Mn, and Ni, in hair and toenails, assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. We observed that the metal concentration was higher in toenail as compared to hair samples in both the groups. Cd was significantly high in both the groups whereas, Mn in the hair was high in the exposed group. The Mn in hair was notably higher among smokers and the Cd in hair and Ni in the nail samples was significantly higher in the subjects with > 8h/day exposure. The concentration of Cd and Ni in hair increased with increasing years of experience and was maximum in the subjects with welding experience of > 20 years. Our results signify that hair and nail samples can be used as an indicator to heavy metal exposure. Given that the present study shows high level of some metals in the hair and nail of welders, awareness of occupational hazards and annual assessment of welder's health is necessary.