Risk assessment of chronic poisoning among Indian metallic miners

Abstract

The estimated average daily employment in the Indian mining sector is 5,60,000, which comprises 87% in the public sector and 13% in the private sector, of which around 70,000 are working in metallic mines. The mine workers are exposed to dust of various potentially toxic substances. The common toxicants present in the mining environment are lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, aluminium, fluoride, arsenic, etc. Inhalation and absorption through the skin are common routes of exposure. Low-dose chronic exposure of toxic substances results in the accumulation of toxicants in the body. Hence, there is a need to monitor the mining environment as well as the miners for these toxicants.

Changes in rat urinary porphyrin profiles predict the magnitude of the neurotoxic effects induced by a mixture of lead, arsenic and manganese

“…Even low Pb levels (Sansar et al, 2011) induce cognitive and behavioral disorders (Patrick, 2006;Reddy et al, 2003), as well as motor deficits (Reckziegel et al, 2011). Chronic neurotoxic effects of As include memory, cognition and personality alterations, along with motor dysfunction (Dhatrak and Nandi, 2009;Halatek et al, 2009). Manganism, a consequence of exposure to high Mn levels, is a known neurological syndrome with many symptomatic analogies to Parkinson's disease (Santamaria, 2008).…”

“…The 3 metals co-occur in occupational contexts, such as mining, and populations living in areas nearby mines are exposed to higher levels of this mixture through water, soil and food contamination (Dhatrak and Nandi, 2009;Mejía et al, 1997). Given the ubiquitous nature of Pb, As and Mn, the likelihood of co-occurrence in many other environmental settings should be considered.…”

Arsenic and Manganese Alter Lead Deposition in the Rat

“…Among them, lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) are of considerable concern to environmental and public health issues [2], owing to their inherent toxicity [3]. While Pb and Mn are metals As is a semi-metal, but aiming simplification purposes along the text, all the three elements will be referred as metals.…”

Acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress indices in cerebellum, cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to lead and manganese

“…Progressive neurological damage by manganese leads to the permanent neurological disorder known as manganism with the resultant tremor, difficulty in walking and facial muscle spasm (Huang, 2007;Stepens et al, 2008). Lead and manganese, both neurotoxic elements readily cross the blood-brain barrier and they often occur in mixtures (Yokel, 2009;Dhatrak and Nandi, 2009;Balbuena and Erich, 2011). The mechanisms for lead neurotoxicity have been reported to include increased spontaneous release of neurotransmitters, oxidative stress and disruption of calcium metabolism (Bressler et al 1999).…”

“…Some of these metals, owing to their environmental persistence and propensity to bioaccumulate in the brain have been implicated in the etiology of various neurodegenerative diseases (ND) (Weiss, 2011), altogether leading to an increase in incidence of neurological diseases. Mining and metal smelting activities, among others, have contributed to these metals accumulating in the atmosphere and soil (ATSDR, 2007;Dhatrak and Nandi, 2009). Chief among these metals are lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn).…”