ArticleBiological trace element research2026
Occupational Exposure to Incinerator-Emitted Heavy Metals among Healthcare Workers: A Plasma Biomonitoring Study in a Tertiary Hospital, Southwestern Nigeria.
Article in Biological trace element research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
In many developing countries, including Nigeria, incineration of hospital waste remains a major waste treatment option, yet it is a significant factor contributing to occupational exposure to heavy metal emissions. This study investigated the concentration of selected heavy metals in blood plasma of workers that are occupationally exposed to hospital waste incinerator emissions in Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Sixty-four (64) venous blood samples were collected and analyzed. Forty-two (42) were the exposed group and twenty-two (22) were the non-exposed group. The mean concentration of metals in blood plasma followed the order Fe > Cu > Cr > Zn > Cd > Ni > Co > As > Pb > Hg. There exists a significance difference (p < 0.05) between exposed and the non-exposed groups. The concentration of Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Ni were observed to be elevated among the occupationally exposed workers. There was a strong inter-elemental correlation between Cd-Cu (r = 0.80), Cu-Fe (r = 0.79), and Pb-As (r = 0.70). This study revealed higher accumulation among younger workers (≤ 30 years) and female participants. This study presents biomonitoring evidence that hospital waste incineration in low-resource settings contributes to occupational exposure to toxic heavy metals. The findings from this study emphasize the need for routine biomonitoring of occupationally exposed workers and eco-friendly technologies that will mitigate the toxic effect of hospital waste incineration and its health risks.
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