Oxidative Stress, Erythropoietin, and Some Physiological Parameters of Workers Exposed to Heavy Metals Pollution

Environmental air pollution directly affects human health, increasing the prevalence of mortality that results from cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of air pollution results from the Erbil steel factory on oxidative stress markers, blood erythropoietin hormone (EPO) concentration, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The study included 250 male samples (150 workers worked in different locations in the Erbil steel factory and 100 healthy males were used as a control group which was selected in the rural area away from the steel factory). A significantly higher concentration of the oxidative marker malondialdehyde MDA and EPO hormone was observed in the serum of workers who work near the furnace part of the factory when compared with control, manager, and scrap parts of the factory. The higher concentration of the MDA and EPO hormone was found in the groups of more than 11-15 years working when compared with the groups of less than 6-10 years working. The results found a significant positive correlation between Pb (r = 0.85<0.01), Co (r = 0.70<0.01), Hg (r = 0.74<0.01) and As (r = 0.60<0.05) with MDA. The workers in different locations parts of the factory showed significantly lower values of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit, and forced vital capacity (FVC) and higher red cell distribution width (RDW), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate as compared with the control group. The decrease and increase of the above-mentioned studies' parameters are time-dependent and differ according to the years of working.