Abstract
Background: Mercury concentration in the blood is one of mercury exposure biomarkers. This study was conducted in Abuhamed mining area in Sudan, during the period from August 2012 to November 2014.The aim of the study was to evaluate serum mercury levels and to assess lung functions in artisanal gold miners. Methods: The study included 123 subjects, of them 83 were working in the gold mining area, beside 50 healthy volunteers from Khartoum State, as control group. Serum mercury was measured by direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80). Lung function tests were done with a portable spirometer. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. Results: The study observed significant increase in serum mercury levels in the gold miners, when compared with control group (24.9 ± 32.24μg/l) versus (1.40 ± 0.94μg/l) with P value (0.000). The mean forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in the gold miners was (3.24 ± 0.57) versus (3.40 ± 0.39) in the control group, while the mean forced vital capacity (FVC) in the mercury exposed miners was (3.7 ± 0.69) versus (3.86 ± 0.60) in non-exposed control group. Conclusion: Serum mercury levels significantly increase in the traditional gold miners working in Abuhamed, while forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) decrease but with no statistical significance.
Highlights
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and highly toxic environmental pollutant [1]
The study revealed that the serum mercury in the traditional gold miners was (24.9 ± 32.24μg/l) versus (1.40 ± 0.94μg/l) in the nonexposed control group; with p value (p= 0.000) Table 1
The clinical symptoms complained by the traditional gold miners were coughing 35(42.2%), headache 31(37.3%), excessive sputum production 28(33.7%), dizziness 27(32.5%), chest pain 26(31.3%), shortness of breath (SOB) 25(30.1%), weight loss 22(26.5%), wheezing 17(20.5%), hemoptysis 6(7.2%), beside burning micturition 31(37.3%) and constipation 17(20.5%) Table 1
Summary
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and highly toxic environmental pollutant [1]. It is found in three forms with different toxicities: elemental, inorganic and organic [2]. The target organs for inhaled elemental mercury are primarily the brain, the kidney and the lung [8]. Gaseous phase of heated mercury; causes acute interstitial pneumonia when inhaled at a high concentration [7]. Chronic mercury toxicity causes tremor, unsteady gait, irritability, poor concentration, short-term memory deficits, tremulous speech, blurred vision, performance decrements, paresthesia, and decreased nerve conduction [14]. Skin sensitivity reactions occur more often in persons who have been chronically exposed to organic rather than inorganic mercurials [15]. Blood is considered a good biomarker of short-term mercury exposures [16]
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