The effects of occupational exposure to manganese fume on neurobehavioral and neurocognitive functions: An analytical cross-sectional study among welders

Authors

  • Younes Mehrifar Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
  • Mahshid Bahrami Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Esmail Sidabadi Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar, Iran
  • Hamideh Pirami Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Tel.: +989396507617, E-mail: hamide_pirami@yahoo.com

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2019-2042

Keywords:

welders, manganese fume, blood manganese, Stroop test, Continuous Performance Test

Abstract

This study aimed to measure concentrations of manganese fume in breathing zone (BZ) and blood among welders to assess neurocognitive and neurobehavioral functions among them. In this study 38 welders and 27 administrative employees participated. Q16 questionnaire was used to evaluate neurobehavioral symptoms. The computerized Stroop test and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were used to assess neurocognitive functions. Sampling and analysis of manganese fumes in the BZ and blood samples were performed according to NIOSH-7300 and NIOSH-8005 methods, respectively. Average concentration of manganese in the welders’ BZ and blood was 0.81 ± 0.21 mg/m3 and 18.33 ± 5.84 µg/l. Frequency of neurobehavioral symptoms was significantly higher in welders compared with control group. Spearman correlation test showed a moderate correlation between Mn concentrations in the BZ and blood Mn levels (rs = 0.352). There were statistical moderate and strong correlations between the frequency of neurobehavioral symptoms and manganese concentrations in the BZ (r=0.504) and blood Mn levels (r=0.643).The Pearson correlation coefficient (r=0.433-0.690) obtained on the psychological tests showed a moderate to strong correlation between manganese concentrations in the welders’ BZ and blood and some indices of the Stroop test and CPT. The results of this study can confirm the effect of manganese inhalation on creating neurobehavioral and neurocognitive impairments in welders.

Downloads

Published

2020-03-13

How to Cite

Mehrifar, Y., Bahrami, M., Sidabadi, E., & Pirami, H. (2020). The effects of occupational exposure to manganese fume on neurobehavioral and neurocognitive functions: An analytical cross-sectional study among welders. EXCLI Journal, 19, 372–386. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2019-2042

Issue

Vol. 19 (2020)

Section

Original articles

License

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

  • The authors keep the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license, CC BY 4.0. This licencse permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
  • The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.
  • Because the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate at the time of publication, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions presented in the publication. The publisher makes no guarantee, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
  • The authors can enter into additional contracts for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version by citing the initial publication in this journal (e.g. publishing in an institutional repository or in a book).