Effect of prolonged heat exposure on red blood cell indices in-vivo among local bread bakers in Ilorin metropolitan city
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Date
2022
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Volume Title
Publisher
Society of Basic and Applied Physiology
Abstract
Background: Occupational hazards are specific dangers workers are exposed to, at
work environments, due to tools, or interactions among co-workers. This is also seen among
local bakers exposed to undue heat culminating into several unreported health conditions
making the victims to indiscriminately and erroneously take blood supplements as antidotes.
This study was conducted to explore the effect of prolonged environmental heat exposure on
red blood cells indices in vivo among local bakers in Ilorin metropolitan city. Methodology: One
hundred office workers and 100 local bread bakers with 5 years and above working exposure to
prolonged heat were selected from 10 different local bakeries in Ilorin. Following completion of
a questionnaire, blood samples were collected for assessment of red blood cell indices. Result:
There was significant (p<0.05) increase in levels of haemoglobin, packed cell volume, and mean
corpuscular haemoglobin, while there was no significant (p>0.05) change in the levels of RBC,
MCV and MCHC, though there was increase. Conclusion: In conclusion, the result of this study
demonstrated that prolonged heat exposure caused increase in the level of haemoglobin,
packed cell volume, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin. However, red blood cell count, mean
corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration of the bakery workers
were uneventful compared to that of the control.
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Keywords
Citation
Prolonged heat, Red blood cell indices, Local bakery, Metropolitan