Muhammad Jahangir1*, Babar Naseem1, Muhammad Muddassir Ali2, Faheem Essa1
Human health is thought to be affected by many factors. Air consists of a large number of chemical compounds which are considered pollutants when they found in unnaturally high concentrations and have the potential to harm the environment and human health. Air pollution is at the top rank among environmental contaminants. Heavy metal toxicity is now gaining its place as one of the major factors contributing to detrimental outcomes for human health. Air quality in the urban area is generally poor, especially at traffic intersection roadsides due to continuous vehicular emissions comprising heavy metals, benzene, diesel soot, polyaromatic hydrocarbon, etc. the study encompassed the target area of Lahore, Pakistan where vehicle traffic is believed to be higher and close to industrial zones. Traffic wardens (n=5 from each area) reared in the twelve different zones/sectors of Lahore were added in the study and the effect of heavy metals toxicity was evaluated via biochemical examination of blood and hair samples. The wet-acid digested samples were analyzed by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect history of the subjects. The results of the study indicated a significant difference in trace element concentration in almost all the blood and hair samples as compared to the World Health Organization (WHO). This study can be used as a foundation and reference for future studies. This investigation revealed that biological samples serve as a good tool to bio-monitor the environmental pollution in urban area.
Published Date: 2025-02-01; Received Date: 2023-11-10
