Aim: Growth and fertility hormones of albino rats exposed to quarry dust were evaluated to determine if the inhaled quarry dust and heavy metals contained in it have any effect on the fertility and growth of the rats. Methods: Sixty (30 in each of wet and dry seasons) male albino rats were used in this study and were housed in six (6) sterilized plastic cages with five (5) rats in each cage at Ugwuele quarry industry Uturu. The control (group 1) was housed at a distance of 7.2km from the quarry site. Group 2 was housed at the administration block of the quarry industry while groups 3,4,5,6 were housed at the gate, plant house, drilling pit and crusher positions of the quarry industry respectively. Heavy metals; lead, chromium, cobalt, arsenic, zinc and cadmium from dust samples were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometer while assay for hormones was also carried out using standard analytical methods. Results: All the analyzed heavy metals were present in the dust. Concentrations of heavy metals in the quarry dust were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the control and higher in the dry season than in the wet season. Concentrations of prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH) in the test samples were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to the control while the concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the test samples were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to the control. Results also show that the concentrations of prolactin, FSH, LH and GH were lower in the dry season than in the wet season whereas, the concentrations of TSH in the exposed rats were higher in the dry season than in the wet season.  Conclusion: Growth rate and fertility of the albino rats may have been compromised by the exposure to the quarry dust, since the growth and fertility hormones were all reduced.

In most developing countries, stores, where chemical substances are sold, are poorly ventilated, and best practices are not followed. This can result in the contamination of the ambient air inside the stores with toxicological implications for the lungs. This work aimed at determining the risk of pulmonary disease in chemical storekeepers in the Ariaria international market Aba by the evaluation of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) biomarkers of oxidative stress. A gas monitor was used for gas sampling while an Aerocet analyzer was used for particulate matter determinations. Exposed filter paper was used for the sampling of heavy metals in the air, and the determination was done using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The exhaled breath condensate was collected with a refrigerated condenser, and the markers of oxidative stress were determined spectrophotometrically. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM7, PM10) were elevated in all the chemical stores studied. Our findings also showed that the indoor air of the chemical stores studied was polluted with SO2, NO2, NH3 and H2S, as their concentrations were respectively higher than the WHO standard values. Concentrations of all the heavy metals present in the ambient air of the chemical stores were also higher than the Nigerian Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) standard values. Chemical storekeepers at the Ariaria international market exhaled increased concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), H2O2, and lower concentrations of glutathione (GSH). The pH values of the exhaled breath condensates were decreased and slightly acidic. It therefore means that the storekeepers were exposed to polluted ambient air inside the stores. This resulted to airway oxidative stress in the storekeepers as reported herein. Therefore, storekeepers of chemical stores in the Ariaria international market, Aba Nigeria were at risk of pulmonary disease(s).