Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Biochemical Effects of Lead Exposure on Battery Manufacture Workers with Reference to Blood Pressure, Calcium Metabolism and Bone Mineral Density

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lead is one of the most widely scattered toxic metals in the environment and used by mankind for over 9,000 years. Lead in the environment may be derived from natural or anthropogenic sources. 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 effect of lead exposure on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum calcium, ionized calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone and vitamin D and examine the overall effect of all these parameters on the bone mineral density of battery manufacture workers. For this study ninety battery manufacture workers were selected and divided in three groups depending upon duration of lead exposure. Group I—workers with duration of lead exposure 1–5 years, Group II—workers with duration of lead exposure 6–10 years and Group III—workers with duration of lead exposure more than 10 years. Each group consisted of thirty workers. Thirty age matched healthy control subjects were taken for comparison. Demographic, occupational and clinical data were collected by using questionnaire and interview. The venous blood samples were collected from the study groups and normal healthy control group. At the time of blood collection random urine samples were collected in amber coloured bottles. The biochemical parameters were estimated by using standard assay procedures. Statistical analysis of the data was done using independent student‘t’ test for parametric variables. Values were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). P values of 0.05 or less were considered to be statistically significant. The blood lead levels and urinary lead levels of all workers were significantly increased (P < 0.001) in proportion to the duration of lead exposure as compared to controls. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly raised (P < 0.001) in all three study groups of battery manufacture workers as compared to controls. Serum Calcium, Ionized calcium, phosphorus were significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in all the three study groups. Serum vitamin D levels were lowered (P < 0.01) and serum PTH was increased (P < 0.01) in workers as compared to controls. The results of this study clearly indicate that the absorption of lead is more in these workers which adversely affects blood pressure, disturbs calcium and phosphorus metabolism which further impairs mineralization of bone resulting in decreased bone mineral density observed in these workers. Lead toxicity is still persistent in battery manufacture workers though they are using sophisticated techniques in these industries. There is a need to protect the workers from the health hazards of occupational lead exposure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World health organization. Biological indices of lead exposure and body burden. In: IPCS, Inorganic lead Environmental Health Criteria 118’, vol 165. Geneva: WHO; 1995. p. 114–118.

  2. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicological profile for lead, US Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta GA: US Government Printing; 2005. p. 102–225.

  3. Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology. In: Curtis D. Klaassen, editor. The basic science of poisons, Chap. 23: Toxic effects of metals. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill publication; 2008. p. 943–947.

  4. Saryan LA, Zenz C. Lead and its compounds In: Zenz CO, Dickerson B, Horvath EP, editors. Occupational medicine, Chap. 38. 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby publishing company; 1994. p. 506–540,

  5. IPSC Environmental health criteria 85 Lead-Environmental effect, Geneva WHO; 1989. p. 106.

  6. Gidlow DA. “Lead toxicity” in depth review. Occup Med. 2004; 54:76–81.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dongre NN, Suryakar AN, Patil AJ, Rathi DB. Biochemical effects of occupational lead exposure to workers in small scale automobile workshops of North Karnataka (India). J Env Health Res. 2010; 10(2):27–34.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Buchot JP, Rods H, Benard A, Lauwerys R. Assessment of renal function of workers exposed to inorganic lead, cadmium or mercury vapor. J Occup Med. 1980;22:741–750.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Saboli I. Common mechanisms in nephropathy induced by toxic metals. Nephron Physiol. 2006;104:107–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Anetor JI, Akingbola TS, Adeniyi FAA, Taylor GO. Decreased total and ionized calcium levels and hematological indices in occupational lead exposure as evidence of the endocrine disruptive effect of lead. IJOEM. 2005;9(1):15–21.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Howard H, Rabinowitz M, Smith D. Bone lead as biological marker in epidemiologic studies of chronic toxicity: conceptual paradigms. Environ Health Perspect. 1998;106(1):1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Jennifer AJ, Carla GT, Hope AW. Marginal zinc deficiency exacerbates bone lead accumulation and high dietary zinc attenuates lead accumulation at the expense of bone density in growing rats. Toxicol Sci. 2006;92(1):286–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Hu H, Aro A, Payton M, Korrick S, Sparrow D, Weiss ST, Rotnitzky A. The relationship of bone and blood lead to hypertension: the normative study. JAMA. 1996;275:1171–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Declaration of Helsinki. (1964) Amended by World Medical Assembly, Venice, Italy and 1983 Br Med J. 1996; 313(70):601–605.

  15. Parson PJ, Slavin W. A rapid Zeeman graphite furnace AAS method for determination of lead in blood. Spectrochim Acta. 1993;48 B:925–939.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mcleans FL, Hastings AB. The state of calcium in the fluids of the body. J Biol Chem. 1935;108:285–322.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Beeler MF, Catrou PG. Disorders of calcium metabolism. In: Interpretations in clinical chemistry: a textbook approach to chemical pathology. Chicago: American Society of Clinical Pathologist; 1983. p. 34–44.

  18. Daly JA, Ertingshausen G. Direct method for determining inorganic phosphorus in serum with the centrifichem. Clinical Chem. 1972;18:263.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wang J, Chen CC, Osaki S. Optimization of the phospho- rus-UV reagent. Clin Chem. 1983;29:1255.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Alfven T, Jarup L, Elinder CG. Cadmium and lead in blood in relation to low bone mineral density and tubular proteinuria. Environ Health Persp. 2002;110(7):699–702.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Cramér K, Dahlberg L. Incidence of hypertension among lead workers: a follow-up study based on regular control over 20 years. Br J Ind Med. 1966;23:101–4.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Fenga C, Cacciola A, Martino LB, Calderaro SR, Di Nola C, Verzera A, Trimarchi G, Germano D. Relationship of blood lead levels to blood pressure in exhaust battery storage workers. Ind Health. 2006;44:304–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Schumacher M, Bosque MA, Domingo JL, Corbella J. Effect of chronic lead, cadmium exposure on blood pressure in occupationally exposed workers. Biol Trace Elem Res. 1994;41:269–78.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Hertz-Picciotto I. Review of the relation between blood lead and blood pressure. Epidemiol Rev. 1993;15:352–73.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Dos Santos AC, Colacioppo S, Dal Bo CMR, Dos Santos NAG. Occupational exposure to lead, kidney function tests and blood pressure. Am J Ind Med. 1994;26:635–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Maheswaran R, Gill JS, Beevers DG. Blood pressure and industrial lead exposure. Am J Epidemiol. 1993;137:645–53.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Damstra T. Toxicological properties of lead. Envrion Health Perspect. 1977;19:297–307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Kristal-Bouneh E, Froom P, Yerushalmi N, Harari G, Ribak J. Calcitropic hormones and occupational lead exposure. Am J Epidemil. 1998;147(5):458–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Sun Y, Sun D, Zhou Z, Zhu G, Zhang H, Chalng X, Lei L, Jin T. Osteoporosis in a Chinese population due to occupational exposure to lead. Am J Ind Med. 2008;51:436–42.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Potula V, Henderson A, Kaye W. Calcitropic hormones, bone turn over and lead exposure among female smelter workers. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2005;60(4):195–204.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, BLDEU’s Shri B.M.Patil Medical College, Bijapur, Karnataka, 586 103, India

    Nilima N. Dongre, Indira A. Hundekari & Basavaraj B. Devarnavadagi

  2. Professor in Biochemistry and Registrar, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, Maharashtra, 422 004, India

    Adinath N. Suryakar

  3. Departmet of Biochemistry, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University, Karad, Maharashtra, 415539, India

    Arun J. Patil

Authors
  1. Nilima N. Dongre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adinath N. Suryakar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Arun J. Patil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Indira A. Hundekari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Basavaraj B. Devarnavadagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nilima N. Dongre.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dongre, N.N., Suryakar, A.N., Patil, A.J. et al. Biochemical Effects of Lead Exposure on Battery Manufacture Workers with Reference to Blood Pressure, Calcium Metabolism and Bone Mineral Density. Ind J Clin Biochem 28, 65–70 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-012-0241-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-012-0241-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation