THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO CEMENT DUST ON THE PARAMETERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AMONG CEMENT PLANT WORKERS

Abstract

Introduction: Working in cement industry exposes the workers to various hazards that could be in some cases life threatening. One such threat is cement dust which can predispose to oxidative stress. This study is a part of larger project to investigate the negative impacts of cement dust and it specifically aims at determining the parameters of oxidative stress in people working in cement plants in comparison to apparently healthy controls. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study design was adopted in this work. Four cement factories in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq were included in the study for the period from December 2019 to March 2020. Ninety-seven non-smoking healthy workers were compared with 97 apparently healthy controls. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the two groups. Results: Significantly higher MDA mean (6.49 1.75 nmol/ml) was found in the workers group as compared to the controls (4.85 ? 1.36 nmol/ml) with a P-value of less than 0.001. Conversely, TAC was significantly higher in the control group (16.63 ? 2.99 U/ml) than in the workers (13.12 ? 2.85 U/ml) and the P-value was also less than 0.001. Conclusion: Cement dust exposure can predispose to oxidative stress by raising MDA and decreasing TAC exposing the workers to the damaging effects of free radicals.