Evaluation of toxicological parameters in laboratory workers

Many chemical substances used in laboratory environments possess toxic properties that pose potential health hazards to workers. The primary objective of this study is to determine the possible presence and level of chemical exposure by comparing the obtained biological measurement results with national and international limit values, to assess the adequacy of existing protective measures, and to propose additional precautions where necessary. Within the scope of the study, urine samples from 50 laboratory workers at Yozgat Bozok University were analyzed for arsenic, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, mercury, lead, cadmium, cobalt, aluminum, nickel, phenol, hippuric acid, and 3- methylhippuric acid. The analysis results were evaluated using the SPSS 20.0 software package. In this study, the levels of metals and metabolites detected in individuals working in the laboratory environment were as follows: arsenic 6.38 ± 1.32 μg/L, copper 1160.93 ± 389.84 μg/L, zinc 1668.96 ± 707.41 μg/L, manganese 9.96 ± 3.32 μg/L, chromium 8.47 ± 2.12 μg/L, mercury 2.32 ± 0.75 μg/L, lead 25.19 ± 10.73 μg/L, cadmium 1.31 ± 0.89 μg/L, cobalt 1.19 ± 0.77 μg/L, aluminum 3.64 ± 2.08 μg/L, nickel 1.80 ± 1.94 μg/L, phenol 40.45 ± 61.33 mg/L, hippuric acid 888.95 ± 1020.43 mg/L, and 3-methylhippuric acid 1373.65 ± 493.22 mg/L. These findings reveal the levels of chemicals to which the workers were exposed and are of importance in terms of evaluating potential health effects.