Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jan;35(1):80-87.
doi: 10.1007/s12291-018-0797-z. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Blood Lead Levels in Occupationally Exposed Workers Involved in Battery Factories of Delhi-NCR Region: Effect on Vitamin D and Calcium Metabolism

Himani  1 , Raman Kumar  2 , Jamal Akhtar Ansari  3 , Abbas Ali Mahdi  3 , Dilutpal Sharma  3 , Busi Karunanand  1 , Sudip Kumar Datta  4
Affiliations

Blood Lead Levels in Occupationally Exposed Workers Involved in Battery Factories of Delhi-NCR Region: Effect on Vitamin D and Calcium Metabolism

Himani et al. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Workers involved in battery manufacturing or recycling factories are occupationally exposed to high concentrations of lead. In humans, lead can cause a wide range of biological effects depending upon the level and duration of exposure. The purpose of this study was to find out the blood lead levels (BLL) in occupationally exposed workers involved in battery industry in Delhi NCR region and to study whether lead affected the vitamin D (vit D) and calcium metabolism. For this study 100 occupationally lead-exposed battery workers (LEBW) and 100 non-lead exposed controls (NLEC) were recruited. BLL were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) technique while ELISA was performed to quantify the serum vit D levels in the study subjects. Routine biochemical parameters were measured by chemistry autoanalyzers. Statistical analysis was done using appropriate statistical tools. Results showed that BLL were significantly higher in LEBW as compared to NLEC (p < 0.0001). Serum vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus levels were significantly decreased in battery workers as compared to controls (p < 0.005). Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed significant negative correlation of BLL with serum Vitamin D and calcium levels. Significant positive correlation was observed between BLL and duration of lead exposure. Weak negative correlation was also observed between BLL and vit D even after adjusting for smoking status. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that higher BLL significantly alters the vit D and calcium metabolism.

Keywords: Battery workers; Blood lead levels; Occupational hazard; Serum calcium; Vitamin D.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graphical representation of the blood lead levels on the basis of: a age and duration of exposure in LEBW; b smokers and drinkers in LEBW; data is expressed as Mean ± SD. LEBW lead exposed battery workers;*p ≤ 0.05 is considered as significant
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphical representation of serum vitamin D levels on the basis of a age and duration of exposure in LEBW b smokers and non-smokers in all subjects. LEBW lead exposed battery workers;*p ≤ 0.05 is considered as significant
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Spearman rank correlation analysis between a blood lead level (BLL) and serum vitamin D, b BLL and serum calcium and c BLL and serum phosphorus in all subjects (N = 200)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicology profilr for lead,USDepartment of health and human servies. Atlanta, Georgia, USA:US Government Printing,2005; pp 102–225.
    1. International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). Inorganic lead. Environmental health criteria 165. Geneva: WHO; 1995
    1. Ooi PL, Goh KT, Heng BH, Sam CT, Kong KH, Rajan U. Biological monitoring of human exposure to environmental lead in Singapore. Rev Environ Health. 1991;9(4):207–213. doi: 10.1515/REVEH.1991.9.4.207. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wu S, Peng S, Zhang X, Wu D, Luo W, Zhang T, Zhou S, Yang G, Wan H, Wu L. Levels and health risk assessments of heavy metals in urban soils in Dongguan. China J Geochem Explor. 2015;148:71–78. doi: 10.1016/j.gexplo.2014.08.009. - DOI
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Adult blood lead epidemiology and surveilance. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60:841. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources