| Background: Workers in different occupational positions experience
significant Cu exposures, however, Cu toxicity has not been fully studied as
compared to other heavy metals. In the present study, hematological and
hepatic alterations have been investigated among copper mine workers.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in a copper
mine in west of Iran, on 402 copper mine workers (study group) and 52
office employees (control group) during winter 2015. 5ml blood samples
were provided from each subject and hematological and hepatic
parameters including white blood cell (WBC), platelet (PLT), hemoglobin
(HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean
corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCH), lymphocytes, neutrophils,
alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and
serum Cu levels have been determined using their commercial kits. The
results were analyzed in the SPSS software using t-test and regression
method.
Results: ALT, AST, HGB, MCV, MCH and plasma Cu levels among the
workers were significantly higher than the office employees (p<0.050).
WBC and RBC counts among the workers were significantly lower than the
control group (p= 0.049 and 0.024, respectively). Serum Cu levels of 215 of
the workers were higher than its normal recommended range (120 μg/dl).
For the subjects with serum Cu levels above 150 μg/dl, increases in AST
and ALT were in compliance with serum Cu levels increase.
Conclusions: Significant hepatic and hematological alteration were
observed among copper miners compared to control group. Employment of
workers with background hematological and hepatic disorders in copper
industries must be accompanied with great caution. |