Mask Protection Against Lead Exposure and Its Correlation with Erythropoiesis in Automotive Body Painters at Ligu District, Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction

Automotive body painters are at risk of excessive lead exposure that may compromise their health. This study examined the protective effects of masks against lead exposure and its correlation with blood profile of automotive body painters at Ligu district, Semarang, Indonesia.

Material and Methods

This cross-sectional study included 61 painters at Ligu district, Semarang, Indonesia (mean age 45 years, 100% male). Mask use was categorized into “frequent” and “infrequent”. Blood samples were taken to measure lead exposure and haematological parameters (haemoglobin/HGB, erythrocytes/RBC, haematocrit/HCT, mean corpuscular haemoglobin/MCH, mean corpuscular volume/MCV, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration/MCHC). Effectivity of mask use against lead exposure was analysed with Fisher’s exact test, while lead exposure and haematopoietic parameters were evaluated with Pearson’s correlation tests.

Results

There were 26 automotive painters (42.6%) classified as unfrequent mask users, and all of them had high blood lead levels. Most haematopoiesis parameters were in normal range. Workers with infrequent mask use were 1.269 more likely to be exposed to lead compared to those with frequent mask use (CI 95%, 1.082–1.552). Significant associations were found between lead exposure and RBC (p=0.0, r=−0.53), HGB (p=0, r=−0.61), and HCT (p=0.00, r=−0.61). No significant correlations were observed between lead exposure and MCV, MCH, MCHC.

Conclusion

Lead exposure was significantly associated with haematological parameters RBC, HGB, and HCT, confirming the effects of prolonged exposure on blood profile. However, mask use provided significant protection against lead exposure in automotive body painters and should be an obligatory gear for workers.

Keywords:

• mask
• lead
• haematopoiesis
• automotive painters

Acknowledgments

We thank all subjects who have participated in our study, our colleagues at the laboratory who provided great help in blood analysis, and Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang for the full support.

Disclosure

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest regarding the study and the publication of this paper.