Occupational lead exposure and its effect on human liver functions

Introduction: A Comparative study of persons working in lead based industries and non-lead based industries were undertaken to evaluate the effect of lead on liver function tests. This study was done to evaluate the ill effects of lead on liver functions as there were very few studies available to show the ill effects of lead on human liver. Materials and Methods: Subjects were classified as: Group-A: Controls- individuals who were working in non-lead based industries. Group B: individuals who were working in lead based industries. Results: The study showed that there was statistical significance between the group A and group B in BLL (p<0.001), Hb (p<0.001), ALAD (p<0.001) and ZPP (p<0.001). There was also statistically significant difference in two groups in Total Bilirubin (p<0.001), Direct Bilirubin (p<0.001), Indirect Bilirubin (p<0.001) and Total Protein (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in liver enzymes between the two groups. Conclusions: As lead being a toxic element affecting multiple organs, including liver as emphasized in this study shows the importance of regulation in lead based industries in a country like India.