EFFECTS OF AIRBORNE DUST COLLECTED FROM KUWAIT ON HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES

Air borne dust as deposited on air conditioner's filter was collected from most polluted regions of Kuwait and for comparison also from Dubai. Kuwait dust samples were found to contain high concentrations of Ni , Mn and Pb and a number of organic compounds different from the oil samples collected from the oil pool in the oil fields. Toxicity evaluation against human erythrocytes showed strong hemolytic nature of the dust. Treatment of erythrocytes with the dust exhibited peroxidative damage of the membrane. The dust collected from Dubai was innocuous. The present data suggest that erythrocyte damaging potential of the dust can be used as a marker of toxicity and provide information about the dissipation of toxic factors from airborne dust with time.