Physical examination data of 933 workers occupationally exposed to manganese

Objective To observe the adverse effect of manganese on exposed workers' health condition and the relationship between change of health condition and the urinary manganese level. Methods The physical examination data of 933 workers occupationally exposed to manganese from 12 plants in Jingxi County were analyzed. Results The data showed that female workers had higher urinary manganese level than the male workers. The female workers had higher abnormal rate of HGB and PLT(χ²=7.58、5.49,P < 0.05),and higher prevalence of neurological symptoms(12 times than that in men, χ²=27.15,P < 0.01),while the male workers had higher abnormal rate of SBP(χ²=15.26,P < 0.01) and DBP(χ² =8.63,P < 0.01). There was a positive association between the abnormality of PLT in male workers and exposure time(r=0.32,P < 0.05). However,the data showed that the urinary manganese level was not related to the exposure time and that the systolic pressure,diastolic pressure,white blood cell count,red blood cell count,hemoglobin,platelet count and neurological symptoms of these workers were not related to the urinary manganese level. Conclusion The neurological system might be the sensitive target among occupationally exposed workers and the female workers were more sensitive than male workers. Exposure to manganese for a long time may affect platelet count in male workers.