Assessment of Phosphatic Fertilizer Production Impact on Occupational Staff Based on NAA of Hair, Nails, and Inhald Particles

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) was performed for the determination of 25 elements in hair, toenails, and PM_2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 μ m in aerodynamic diameter) to assess how human tissues of occupational staff and inhaled particles follow the industrial exposure of Gdansk Phosphatic fertilizer plant in Poland. Statistical analysis was used to elucidate this exposure. The results obtained were compared using box and whiskers plot and the parametric t-test and nonparametric Mann–Whitney U- test. The comparison showed a statistically significant difference between workers and control group concerning for example Br, Ca, Cl, La, Mn, Sm, U and V in hair, Cu, Dy, La, Sm, Ti and U in toenails and Al, As, Cl, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Sm and Zn in PM_2.5 samples.

Key Words:

• Neutron Activation Analysis
• Hair
• Nails
• Mann–Whitney U-test
• Phosphatic fertilizer plant.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was carried out in the framework of the INCO-COPERNICUS Project no. ICA2-CT-2000-10025.

Notes

(*) M, mill; SH, storehouse; FP, fertilizer production; PAP, phosphoric acid production.

^a , information value.