Hair arsenic levels of metalurgical workers

Abstract

Objective: In many countries, data obtained from individuals has been evaluated in order to determine environmental metal exposure and country standards.In the present study, the aim is to find out the mean arsenic levels of residents of our country by detecting the arsenic levels in hair samples of metallurgical workers who were thought to be exposed to arsenic and unexposed volunteers. Methods:The study population comprised 175 metallurgy workers aged 20 to 58 and 175 age-matched (21 to 60 years) volunteers. GFAAS equipped with zeeman background correction system was utilized for hair as determination. Results:The average levels in hair of exposed workers and the control group was 2.53±2.47 μg/g and 0.21±0.20 μg/g, respectively. The level in hair was found significantly higher in the exposed group than in the control group (p<0.01). Conclusion:The mean hair arsenic level was lower in the unexposed group and was 2-fold higher in workers than 1 μg/g that is accepted as standard, revealing that precautions and sanctions should be increased.