ASSESSMENT OF HEPATIC, RENAL,HAEMATOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND LEAD BLOOD LEVEL AMONG EGYPTIAN FIRE FIGHTERS.

Background: Firefighters are potentially exposed to hazardous factors(physical,chemical and biological) during their work which endanger their life. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the health hazards in Egyptian fire fighters bymeasuring the blood level of some of these chemicals (lead, carboxyheamoglobin) and by measuring some biochemical parameters. Materials and methods: This study was conducted on 25 fire fighter workers ,their ages ranged between 25-37 years (31± 3.5),working in El Maadi fire fighting station. Besides 25,non-smoker healthy subjects , matched for age that ranged from 22 to 35 (30.5 ± 3.8) number,sex, and socioeconomic status. All participants were subjected to the following laboratory investigations: blood lead level, hemoglobin and carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) concentration, kidney and liver functions. Results: This study showed a statistically significant difference between the exposed group and the control group as regards COHb, levels of blood lead, ALT, creatinine and urea, while there was no statistically significant difference between exposed and control groups as regards B2 microglobulin urine level, AST, Gamma GT, albumin, total protein, haemoglobin concentration and bilirubin. Conclusion: This study points out to the need for more health protective measures to avoid adverse health effects that might endanger firefighters under their highly drastic working conditions.Recommendations: Continuous practical training for implementing workplace environmental control measures and proper use of personal protective equipment should be practiced by all firefighters. Firefighters must be under continuous medical follow -up to allow for early detection of any biochemical or hematological changes.   .