OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of combined occupational exposure of chromium and iron on erythrocyte metabolism, and the possible mechanism.

METHODSA total of 115 chromate production workers were selected in a chemical factory of Jinan as exposure group, Dec, 2008, and 60 healthy residents from a community which was far away from the factory were enrolled as control group. Environmental concentrations of chromium and iron were collected by filter membrane sampling and determined. The peripheral blood of subjects were collected for determination of chromium, iron, copper in whole blood and folate, vitamin B₁₂ in serum, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and correlation analysis was conducted.

RESULTSThe median (quartile interval) concentration of air-chromium and air-iron in workplace were 9.0 (10.5) and 11.2 (10.1) µg/m³, respectively, which were significantly higher than that of the control (0.1 (0.1) and 7.2 (2.5) µg/m³) (all P values < 0.01). Blood-chromium and blood-iron of the exposed group were 15.5 (14.1) µg/L and (895.1 ± 90.2) mg/L, which were significantly higher than the counterpart of the control (3.6(2.0) µg/L, (563.7 ± 49.3) mg/L) (all P values < 0.01). Serum folate ((6.9 ± 2.5) µg/L), serum vitamin B₁₂ ((396.4 ± 177.0) µg/L) and blood copper ((777.6 ± 103.5) µg/L) of the exposed group were all significantly lower comparing to the control group ((558.0 ± 330.8), (8.1 ± 3.8), (812.1 ± 94.6) µg/L) (all P values < 0.05). The relationships between blood chromium and serum folate, serum vitamin B₁₂ were statistical significant (r = -0.319 and -0.293, P < 0.01). Both serum vitamin B₁₂ and blood copper correlated with mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (r = -0.223, -0.242, -0.261, -0.292, all P values < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONCombined chromium and iron exposure existed in the workplace. Adverse effect of Chromium on human erythrocyte may via folate and vitamin B₁₂ metabolism, while iron may via copper metabolism.