Evaluation of cement chemicals effect on the serum Urea and Creatinine levels of Artisans working with cement in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria

Objective: Cement is a fine powdery substance that serves as a key binding agent in construction materials. Artisans such as masons, bricklayers, plasterers, and other construction workers, handle cement daily to mix mortar for bricklaying, render walls, pour concrete foundations, or create blocks. In informal settings common in Nigeria, cement mixture is done manually on-site without advanced machinery, increasing direct exposure. This exposure affects the kidneys of these artisans. This study assessed the serum urea and creatinine which are the main renal biomarkers in artisans who use cement in Enugu metropolis.  

Methods: A total of sixty participants of ages 20-50 years (30 cement chemical-exposed subjects as test group and 30 non-cement chemical exposed subjects as controls) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric parameters (Blood pressure, height and weight) of the participants were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated. 2ml of venous blood collected from each participants was used for the assessment of urea and creatinine levels using Urease-Berthelot method and Jaffe-Slot method respectively. The data generated were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25 and results expressed as mean and standard deviation.

Results: The result shows significant (p<0.05) differences in the mean ± SD of systolic blood pressure (132.57 ± 15.82, 120.58 ± 11.25), body mass index (17.72 ± 4.27, 22.50 ± 3.68), urea (5.52 ± 5.19, 2.41 ± 1.02), creatinine (83.53 ± 31.23, 65.56 ± 17.50) in test subjects compared to control subjects respectively. There exists a positive significant (p<0.05) correlation in BMI vs Urea, BMI vs DBP, BMI vs Creatinine, SBP vs DBP, DBP vs Creatinine, Urea vs Creatinine.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated higher levels of systolic blood pressure, urea and creatinine among cement chemical-exposed subjects. Therefore, regular assessment of urea and creatinine levels is vital in those artisans to avoid kidney dysfunctions and other renal complications.