Abstract
The impact of exposure to different sizes of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM7, and PM10) was evaluated in Babylon concrete plant workers who had been exposed to concrete dust for at least 10 years. The effects of these particles on the hematological parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase ) were examined. The results exhibited that the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were higher than the acceptable limits approved by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The blood parameters, namely white blood cells (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and platelets counts, demonstrated non-significant differences between workers exposed to the PM as compared to the control group. However, differentiated white blood cells count revealed a significant increase of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in exposed workers in comparison with the control group. However, both MDA and glutathione peroxidase showed a highly significant increase in the workers ass compared to the control group. Thus, we may conclude that the concrete plant workers are exposed to a higher risk of oxidative stress that could lead to alterations in hematological parameters, enzymatic activities, and MDA level.
Highlights
Concrete production is the greatest source of particulate matter (PM) discharge, accounting for 20–30% which is 40% of the absolute industrial emission [1,2]
3 Results and discussion 3.1 Air pollution data Figure 1 shows the mean values of particulate matter with different sizes (PM1, PM2.5, PM7, PM10) and total suspended particle (TSP) emitted from the studied cement plant
The results showed that the levels of both PM2.5 and PM10 (35 and 150 μg/m3, respectively) were higher than the standard limits of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) [16]
Summary
Concrete production is the greatest source of particulate matter (PM) discharge, accounting for 20–30% which is 40% of the absolute industrial emission [1,2]. The objective of this study, which was conducted in Babylon cement factory, Babylon, Iraq, during February 2019 to determine pollution levels with suspended particles and assess the their impacts on hematological parameters, lipid peroxidation, and levels of antioxidant enzymes in workers who had been exposed to concrete dust throughout the previous 10 years. These parameters are markers to investigate the degree of free radical damage in the essential organs. T-test was utilized to compare the mean values and test the significance of differences among them
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