Investigation of Exposure to Free Crystalline Silica and Urinary Parameters among Employees in an Iron Ore Concentrate Factory in Hamadan Province, Hamadan, Iran

Shafiei, Roya; Ghorbani Shahna, Farshid; Ayubi, Erfan; Nadi, Ebrahim; Farhadi, Sajjad; Gholyaf, Mahmoud; Poormohammadi, Ali

Volume 12, Issue 1 (Spring 2025) johe 2025, 12(1): 1-9 | Back to browse issues page

Research code: ۱۴۰۲۰۸۳۰۷۲۵۶

Ethics code: IR.UMSHA.REC.1402.572

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Shafiei R, Ghorbani Shahna F, Ayubi E, Nadi E, Farhadi S, Gholyaf M et al . Investigation of Exposure to Free Crystalline Silica and Urinary Parameters among Employees in an Iron Ore Concentrate Factory in Hamadan Province, Hamadan, Iran. johe 2025; 12 (1) :1-9
URL: http://johe.umsha.ac.ir/article-1-975-en.html

Investigation of Exposure to Free Crystalline Silica and Urinary Parameters among Employees in an Iron Ore Concentrate Factory in Hamadan Province, Hamadan, Iran

Roya Shafiei¹

, Farshid Ghorbani Shahna

, Ali Poormohammadi ^*²

1- Student Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
2- , apoormohammadi000@yahoo.com

Abstract: (1664 Views)

Iron ore extraction and concentrate factories and mines are among the occupations where personnel are exposed to varying levels of free crystalline silica, making the exposure of workers to respirable free crystalline silica a significant occupational health concern. In this study, 132 personnel from an iron concentrate factory in Hamadan province, Iran, who had exposure to free crystalline silica were selected, and their exposure to silica pollutants in each specific occupational group were measured. For this purpose, occupational units were classified according to the measured exposure level in coded groups from 0 to 5. The results showed that in general, with increasing work experience of personnel in units with exposure to silica, no increase was observed in their urinary crystals. Furthermore, no significant relationship was seen between work experience and the number of urinary crystals in exposed personnel. In addition, within-group comparisons in terms of exposure levels of groups with higher exposure to groups with lower exposures indicated that there is no significant difference in the rate of excretion of urinary amorphous urate crystals between occupational groups. The rate of urinary crystals, particularly amorphous urate, was significantly higher in the exposed group compared to the control group (a working group of employees in a food industry without any exposure to silica). Based on the results of this study, more complementary studies are required to determine the exact relationship between occupational exposure to free crystalline silica and urinary parameters, especially urinary crystals.

Keywords: Amorphous urate, Hamadan, Iron concentrate, Silica, Urinary parameters

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Type of Study: Research Article | Subject: Chemical agents

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