An Investigation of Lead Concentration in the Breathing Air and the Blood of Automobile Welders in Birjand, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Lead is known as one of the most dangerous toxic metals in the world and its entry into the body can cause acute and chronic intoxication with a wide range of systemic symptoms. Our goal in the current research is to study the level of lead in the breathing zone and blood of the automobile welders in Birjand. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 47 automobile welders. The criteria for entering the study included, male gender, having at least 1 year of experience in automobile welding, and at least 8 hours of daily employment in welding. The general information required was collected through a questionnaire. At the beginning of the study, in each working environment air samples were taken in accordance with NIOSH 7082 standards. The analysis of the air lead concentration (ALC) was carried out by a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The blood lead concentration (BLC) was measured by NIOSH 8003 method via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: Based on the data, 12.8% of the workers were smokers and 66% used appropriate personal protective equipment. The average ALC was 0.0458 +/- 0.0296 mg/m3 and the average BLC of automobile welders was 9.89 +/- 7.32 μg/dL. Although Pearson correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation between ALCs and BLCs, this correlation was not statistically significant (p = 0.38, r = 0.18). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the average BLC in cigarette smokers and those who did not use PPE was higher than other people; besides, it was higher in individuals over the age of 30 than those under this age. The mean BLC in automobile welders and the mean ALC corresponded to the standards of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

This study was funded by the Vice-Chancellor for Research, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, IRAN.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The protocol of study was approved by the Committee on Research Ethics at Birjand University of Medical Sciences with the approved No. 4794 (ethics code IR.Bums.REC.1396.360). Before entering the study, welders completed an informed consent form; besides, they were assured that all welders' information would remain confidential with the research team.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

Yes

Data Availability

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors

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