ArticleScientific reports2022
Biochemical and reproductive biomarker analysis to study the consequences of heavy metal burden on health profile of male brick kiln workers.
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Male testosterone synthesis disorders: oxidative stress pathways, regulatory mechanisms, potential of antioxidant therapy, and botanical medicine prospects.Asian journal of andrology · 2026Review
- Exploring the association between metal(loid)s and human semen quality: a preliminary case study in a petrochemical complex.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2025Article
- Therapeutic effect ofRSC advances · 2025Article
- Associations Between Heavy Metal Exposure from Milk and Steroid Hormones in Mothers.Biological trace element research · 2025Article
- Detection of reproductive and hematobiochemical biomarkers to evaluate the impact of heavy metal exposure on brick kiln workers.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Zinc and selenium attenuate quaternary heavy metal mixture-induced testicular damage via amplification of the antioxidant system, reduction in metal accumulation, inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers.Toxicological research · 2023Article
- Mediation Effect of Body Mass Index on the Association of Urinary Nickel Exposure with Serum Lipid Profiles.Biological trace element research · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
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Abstract
The present study aims to assess the effect of a heavy metal burden on general health, biochemical parameters, an antioxidant enzyme, and reproductive hormone parameters in adult male brick kiln workers from Pakistan. The study participants (n = 546) provided demographic data including general health as well as body mass index. Blood was collected to quantitatively assess hematological, biochemical, and reproductive hormone parameters as well as heavy metal concentrations using both atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The data showed that 10% of the brick kiln workers were underweight and 10% obese (P = 0.059), with workers also reporting multiple health issues. Heavy metal concentrations utilizing AAS revealed significantly (p = 0.000) higher levels of cadmium, chromium, and nickel, while PIXE detected more than permissible levels of Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Zn, Ti (p = 0.052), Mn (p = 0.017), Fe (p = 0.055), Co (p = 0.011), Ni (p = 0.045), and Cu (p = 0.003), in the blood of kiln workers. Moreover, a significant increase in platelet count (P = 0.010), a decrease in sodium dismutase levels (p = 0.006), a major increase in reactive oxygen species (p = 0.001), and a reduction in protein content (p = 0.013) were evident. A significant increase in cortisol levels (p = 0.000) among the workers group was also observed. The concentration of LH and FSH increased significantly (p = 0.000), while that of testosterone decreased (p = 0.000) in the worker group compared with controls. A significant inverse relationship was found between cortisol, LH (r = - 0.380), and FSH (r = - 0.946), while a positive correlation between cortisol and testosterone was also evident (r = 0.164). The study concludes that increased heavy metal burden in the blood of brick kiln workers exposes them to the development of general and reproductive health problems due to compromised antioxidant enzyme levels, increased oxidative stress conditions, and a disturbing reproductive axis.
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