Use of Biomonitoring in Health Risk Assessment of Workers to Heavy Metals in Industrial Environment

Abstract

The problem of occupational and work exposure to trace and toxic metals existed at the beginning of industrialization which even persists today. Biomonitoring is the analytical science with multidisciplinary applications that guides industrialist in assessment, management and prevention of trace and toxic metal exposure to workers at workplace. In the present research work, 40 workers were included for the study as subjects out of which, 20 were exposed and 20 were included as controls. Head hair samples were collected from all the subjects and were pretreated for decontamination by wash-ing then digested to get colourless solution prior to analysis for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) with an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer.