Haematological Alterations among Cement Loaders in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Exposure to cement dust without necessary precautions to prevent its inhalation is found to cause respiratory, dermatological, ocular as well as hematological problems and this is a matter of great concern to the health of cement loaders.

Aim of Study: This study was aimed at determining haematological alterations among cement loaders in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Study Design: Cross sectional study design.

Methodology: A total of 100 apparently healthy male subject consisting of 50 cement loaders and 50 non cement loaders aged between the ages of 20- 45years old were recruited for the study. Four millilitres (4 mls) of blood was collected aseptically from the antecubital vein of each participant using standard venepuncture technique into ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulated vacutainer bottles with proper mixing to avoid blood clotting and then analysed using Sysmex haematology autoanalyser. Graphpad prism version 6.2 was used to analyse the data obtained.

Results: Results obtained showed a statistically higher value (p<0.05) in platelet count (p=0.0001), lower values (p<0.05) in haemoglobin concentration (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), Mean cell volume (MCV) and Mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) (p=0.0001). No significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in the mean red blood cell (RBC) count value (p=0.3110), white blood cell (WBC) count (p=0.8138) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (p=0.0584) respectively.

Conclusion and Recommendation: This study has confirmed that there are haematological alterations among cement loaders in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and these alterations are attributed to inhalation of cement dust during work. It is recommended that cement loaders should be mandated to use appropriate personal protective equipment during work hours and around areas where cement dust are generated.