FFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO POLYVINYL CHLORIDE ON TRACE ELEMENTS IN EGYPTIAN WORKERS

Abstract

The harmful effects of air pollution on human health, welfare and the quality of life is well recognized in most of the countries in the world. There are two major sources of air pollution in Egypt 1- Industrial emission and effluent from either stationary of mobile source. 2- Natural dust fall resulting from air activities and dust storm over many rural and urban area. The progress of man since his emergence from the stone age can be measured in terms of his increasing technologic use of metals. This increase has been a hazard to his health from the time metals were fashioned into spears to the present day exposures involving space-age metals, alloys or salts. Thus exposure and possible health hazards also reflect the advancement of civilization (Chiaradia etal. 1997). The first exposure to metallic hazards might have been due to abnormally high natural concentrations in the food or water (U.S Department of Health and Human Services , 1992). The use of metallic cookware, lead water-pipes and increasing numbers of smokers, increased the risk of adverse effects. While some metals are essential nutrients, they also constitute industrial and environmental hazards if the heamostatic mechanism maintaining them within physiology limits unbalanced. Occupationally lead-exposed persons (e.g. lead scarp melting storage battery manufacturing, ship breaking and PVC-plastic production) are subject to an asymptomatic increase in lead absorption and body burden of lead. Human exposure levels and exposure levels at which the first signs of adverse health effects can be seen in very small accurate estimates. Human exposure to environmental pollutants are of vital importance for the assessment of the risks of these pollutants and design and implementation of efficient control strategies (Chesolm, 1984).