Effects of occupational aluminum exposure on the blood of male workers / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of occupational aluminum exposure on the blood of male workers. METHODS: A total of 249 male workers were selected as the research subjects by cluster sampling method in the electrolytic workshop of an aluminum plant. Blood samples were collected for determination of the blood aluminum concentration and blood routine. The subjects were divided into low-, medium-, and high-aluminuml groups based on the tertile of blood aluminum level(P_(33) is 13.9 μg/L, P_(67) is 37.7 μg/L). RESULTS: The red blood cell(RBC) count and hemoglobin level in patients of the high-aluminum group were lower than that of the low-aluminum group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference of the RBC count and hemoglobin level of patients in middle-aluminum group compared with that of the low-and high-aluminum groups(P>0.05). There was no statistical significant difference in white blood cell count and platelet count among the three groups(P>0.05). The results of the generalized linear regression model showed that the higher the blood aluminum level, the lower the RBC count and hemoglobin level of workers(P<0.05) after eliminating confounding factors such as age, length of service, education level, smoking, and drinking. CONCLUSION: Occupational aluminum exposure can cause a decrease of RBC count and hemoglobin level with a dose-effect relationship in workers.