摘要：Romanian health and safety regulations require employers
to monitor the exposure by a suitable procedure in any case where it is
necessary for ensuring the maintenance of adequate control of exposure of
employees to hazardous substances. Objectives. The aim of this study was to estimate the occupational
exposure risk of electroplating plant’s workers. Materials and methods. Indoor air
quality was evaluated by workplace measurements of chemicals in two
cadmium-nickel-chrome electroplating and zinc coating units. For the
determination of internal exposure 69 workers (mean age: 42.7 ± 6.3 years, mean exposure length: 20 ± 7.4), including 28 women, and a matched control
group (72 subjects) were examined in a cross-sectional study. Whole blood
samples were analyzed for cadmium and post-shift urine samples for beta
2-microglobulin. The dermal exposure levels of heavy metals were measured by
wipe sampling in combination with adequate analytical techniques. 23
electroplaters belonging to workplaces with major risk were analyzed for
chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in peripheral lymphocytes. The results
were statistically analyzed through usual methods (Student’s t-test,
c 2 -test, Pearson′s correlation
coefficient ). Results and discussion. Airborne
concentrations exceeded threshold limit values (TLV-TWA) for cadmium, chromium,
nickel, cyanide, sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid and trichloroethylene. Mean
concentrations of cadmium in whole blood, of dermal chrome, cadmium and nickel
and of urinary beta 2-microglobulin were significantly higher among
electroplaters than in controls. A positive correlation was found between
urinary beta 2-microglobulin and blood cadmium levels. The prevalence of
chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in peripheral lymphocytes was significantly higher in exposed as
compared with controls.
Conclusions. The study revealed
the presence of a high occupational risk in metal plating shops. The
concentrations of a great number of chemicals, some of them inducing cancer,
exceeded the allowed exposure limits. The results confirm that beta
2-microglobulin is a sufficiently sensitive indicator for use in monitoring
heavy metal occupational exposure, especially for cadmium. As a complement
to traditional exposure assessment, monitoring deposition of aerosols on
employees’ skin can be a simple and quick screening method for identifying
deposited metals.
