The influence of occupational lead exposure on haematological indices among petrol station attendants and automobile mechanics in Nnewi, South-East Nigeria�?�

Abstract

Nancy Ibeh, John Aneke, Chide Okocha, Chizoba Okeke, Joseph Nwachukwuma

Background: Lead adversely affects a number of organ systems in the body; routine blood count evaluation is an important component of monitoring for organ related toxicity such as leukemia and aplastic anemia. Objective: To evaluate the influence of blood lead levels (BLL) on heamatological parameters among petrol station attendants (PSAs) and auto mobile mechanics (AMs) in Nnewi, South-east Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: One hundred subjects (including 25 PSAs, 25 AMs and 50 normal controls) were prospectively recruited. Five mililiter of blood was collected for full blood count (FBC) and BLL, FBC was done using haematology auto-analyzer (SYSMEX PE 6800), while BLL was determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS model: 240FSAA). Results were expressed as means ±SD, while associations between variable were explored using student t-test and analysis of variance. Regression analysis and correlation were used to establish possible link between lead parameters and hematological indices and personal life style habits. Ethical clearance was obtained from our institutional review board and all participants gave informed consent. Results: Blood lead and white blood cell count (WBC) were significantly higher in AMs compared with PSAs and controls (P values < 0.001), while haemoglobin concentration (Hb), haematocrit, mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and platelet count were significantly higher in controls, compared to PSAs and AMs (P values <0.001). The MCV and MCH were negatively correlated with BLL in PSAs (P=0.02, respectively) while the Hb, haematocrit, MCV, MCH, and MCHC were negatively correlated with BLL in AMs (P values all <0.05). Conclusion: Lead exposure adversely affects blood count and red cell indices in occupationally exposed groups in Nnewi, South-east Nigeria.