ASSESSING LEAD AND CADMIUM EXPOSURES AND EVALUATING LIVER AND KIDNEY FUNCTIONS IN SAWMILL WORKERS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY
Sawmill workers are exposed to sawdust daily, which has been reported to contain heavy metals. The latter are not biodegradable, thus becoming a potential threat to the environment and to man. They have been associated with diverse health challenges including liver and kidney damage. This study aimed to determine the levels of these heavy metals in sawmill workers and to conduct a biochemical assessment of the functional states of their liver and kidneys. The study involved fifty sawmill workers and fifty apparently healthy controls from Lagos state. Ten (10) ml blood sample was collected from each of the participants and 5ml each was dispensed into two different lithium heparin bottles. One plasma portion was used for the heavy metal analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and the other for liver and kidney function tests using automated techniques. Results showed significant (P< 0.05) increases in the plasma levels of cadmium and urea, while that of conjugated bilirubin was reduced in the exposed than that of the control. Plasma levels of lead and other analytes remain unchanged. Our study showed that sawmill workers are at the risk of subtle increase in cadmium level and that the liver and the kidney functions of the sawmill workers were observed to be intact.
Keywords: Cadmium, Kidney, Lead, Liver, Sawdust
*Correspondence: festus.odeyemi@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng; 08060890339
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