| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 環境與安全衛生工程所 === 93 === Arsenic (As) is widely distributed in nature and released into the environment through industrial processes. The Copper-foil industry needs to use arsenic compound as the activator, it discharge air aerosol including arsenic trioxide, arsenite (As3+). Workers may occupationally expose in the arsenic compound and has hazardous. The objective of this study is to determine whether occupational exposure to arsenic trioxide had adverse effects on immunological function. One hundred and twenty-three As-exposed workers in a copper-foil plant in southern Taiwan were recruited. Total blood arsenic concentrations and urinary arsenic metabolite concentrations, including As3+, arsenate (As5+), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were measured and quantified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and Flow Injection Atomic Absorption Spectrometric (FI-AAS). The CD markers of T-helper, T-cytoxic, T-cell IL-2 receptor, and T-cell proliferation for immunological function as well as reactive oxygen species (ROC) generation of white blood cells (WBC) were analyzed using flow cytometry. There were no significantly differences for blood total arsenic concentrations, urinary arsenic metabolite concentrations, CD markers, and ROS generation of WBC between the workers who need to do the specific physical examination (SPE) for As and the workers who unnecessary to do SPE for As. The classification of work type were conducted and we found that levels of urinary As3+, arsenate (As5+), total inorganic As (Asi), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and total As of the As-exposed workers were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05, respectively). Among the As-exposed workers, we found that total urinary As levels of the workers with personal protection equipment were significantly higher than the workers without personal protection equipment. In addition, the use of personal protection equipment was significantly associated with decrease of urinary total As (37.5%). The percentage of T-helper of the workers for Asi≧5μg/g creatinine was significantly higher than the workers did in Asi<5μg/g creatinine group (P<0.05). On the other hand, levels of WBC H2O2 generation for Asi≧3μg/g creatinine group were significantly lower than the workers did in Asi<3μg/g creatinine group (P<0.05). In conclusion, occupational exposure to low levels of As could be at a slight risk of immunological dysfunction, and personal protection equipment might reduce the uptake of As in copper-foil workers.
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