BACKGROUND:Research on risk assessment at industrial sites has experienced growth during the end of this year. But in Indonesia, there is still limited research on risk assessment, especially regarding the importance of measuring non-carcinogenic risk assessment in the workplace. Benzene exposure is believed to reduce levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in workers.AIM:The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between risk quotient (RQ) of non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene and demographic factors on IgA levels.MATERIAL AND METHODS:The subjects of the study were shoe craftsmen who were at risk of benzene exposure. The study design was cross-sectional with a total population of 20 workers. Measurement of IgA levels by Immunoturbidimetric Assay with a normal standard of 2-3 mg/ml. Calculation of non-carcinogenic (RQ) risk characteristics with a comparison between risk agent non-carcinogenic intake with RfD or RfC benzene.RESULTS:The majority of the study subjects aged over 45 years and had a working period of ≥ 25 years. There were 2 location points that had a threshold value exceeding the benzene standard (> 0.05 ppm), and 40% of the subjects had decreased IgA levels. Age and working periods had a significant relationship to IgA levels (p = 0.027; p = 0.047), while benzene and RQ levels did not have a significant relationship with IgA levels (p = 0.179; p = 0.436).CONCLUSION:Increasing age and working period can reduce IgA levels in the body. Further research is needed on risk assessment, especially on the safe limits of benzene concentration in the workplace to find out how long benzene exposure forms a non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risk in workers’ bodies exposed to benzene.
Methylmercury (MeHg) is one type of mercury (Hg) species known to be very toxic to humans, especially pregnant women and their fetuses. This study aims to obtain and validate the optimum condition of liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS) to test MeHg concentration. To date, there is limited research that is focused on the maternal blood MeHg samples using LC-ICP-MS in Malaysia. Before analysis, collected blood (500 µL) was placed into a 15 mL polypropylene test tube, followed by the addition of extractant solution [0.10% (v/v) HCl + 0.05% (m/v) L-cysteine + 0.10% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol] to the sample and sonicated for 15 minutes. The MeHg level was detected from the sample solution using the LC with Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 (4.6 x 12.5 mm, 5 µm) (Agilent Technologies) guard column and analytical column (4.6 x 150 mm, 5 µm) and was quantified by using the ICP-MS. The recovery of MeHg was in the range of 106 to 112% with RSD of less than 10%, followed by the LOD and LOQ values of 0.216 and 0.766 µg/L, respectively. The MeHg appeared at a retention time of fewer than 5 minutes. The results reported that the median (IQR) of maternal blood MeHg level in Malaysian pregnant women was 1.70 (8.90) µg/L, which is 9.7% lower than the LOD value and 11.2% higher than the guideline value of 3.5 µg/L of MeHg in maternal blood.
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