• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 1993

Blood samples obtained from 200 adults who had visited the "S" general hospital were analyzed to compare the zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels quantified by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) and by hematofluorometer (HF) to investigate the methodological difference if any and the relationship between the levels of blood lead and ZPP among no-lead exposed adults. Also investigated were the distribution of ZPP and protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) concentrations, the establishment of normal levels of blood ZPP and blood lead, and the contribution of age and sex factors to these values. These subjects had no previous occupational exposure to lead. The results obtained were as follows : 1. The mean values of blood lead for male and female subjects were $9.46{\pm}2.44{\mu}g/dl$ and $8.09{\pm}2.17{\mu}g/dl$, respectively. The difference observed in the mean concentrations between male and female subjects was statistically very significant. 2. The mean values of blood ZPP by HPLC for male and female subjects were $15.94{\pm}4.55{\mu}g/dl$ and $22.26{\pm}6.61{\mu}g/dl$, respectively. The difference observed in the mean concentrations between male and female subjects was statistically not significant. The mean values of blood PPIX by HPLC for male and female subjects were $2.51{\pm}1.78{\mu}g/dl$ and $2.81{\pm}1.56{\mu}g/dl$, respectively. The difference observed in the mean concentrations between male and female subjects was statistically not significant. 3. The mean values of blood ZPP by HF for male and female subjects were $28.44{\pm}7.11{\mu}g/dl$ and $37.77{\pm}8.04{\mu}g/dl$, respectively. The difference observed in the mean concentrations between male and female subjects was statistically very significant. 4. No statistically significant correlation was found between the levels of blood ZPP and blood lead. 5. The ratio of ZPP and protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) concentration to erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP, EP=ZPP+PPIX) concentration was 87.4% and 12.6%, respectively. 6. A statistically very significant correlation was found between the ZPP concentrations determined by HPLC and the values by HF (r=0.7565). The ZPP concentraitons quantified by HF were 1.75 times as high as the values obtained by HPLC. 7. The blood ZPP concentrations quantified by HPLC, HF, and spectrofluorometer (SF) from the blood samples obtained from 14 lead-exposed workers and from 16 no-lead exposed adults showed wide variations. The ZPP concentrations by HF were the highest followed by the levels obtained by SF and by HPLC. In the exposed group, no statistically significant difference was found among three methods of quantifying blood ZPP levels. In the no-lead exposed group, however, statistically significant difference was observed among these methods. The ZPP concentrations by HF were about twice as high as those of by HPLC or by SF. Among three methods of quantifying blood ZPP (HPLC, SF and HF), the results revealed significant difference. Therefore it is suggested that objective methods of quantifying blood ZPP and a system of correcting different ZPP levels be developed by the ministry of Labor.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 1993

This study aims at investigating the relationships between the urinary mercury concentration and blood zinc-protoportphyrin, serum cholinestrase activity, making 149 workers exposed to mercury vapor and 68 workers who were not exposed to mercury among the workers in a flurorescent lamp manufactureing factory an object of this investigation. The results are as follows ; 1. In an exposed group the number of those whose urinary mercury concentration showed over $100{\mu}g/l$ was 21 persons (14.3%) among 147 workers. The average urinary mercury concentration was $52.1{\pm}46.1{\mu}g/l$($1.8-361.2{\mu}g/l$), which proved to be higher than the average concentration in a control group. 2. In an exposed group, the average concentration of blood zinc-protoporphyrin was $27.8{\pm}12.5{\mu}g/dl$($12.2-101.5{\mu}g/dl$), which proved to be somewhat higher than the average concentration in a control group. But it did not show a significant difference. 3. In an exposed group, the average concentration of serum cholinesterase activity showed $1936.7{\pm}341.0IU/l$(1,120,0-2,8750IU/l), which proved to be lower than the average concentration in a control group. 4. The relational coefficient between urinary mercury concentration and blool zinc-protoporphyrin, serum cholinesterase activity of the whole workers exposed to mercury showed little difference. While the relational coefficient between the urinary mercury concentration and blood zinc-protoporphyrin of the workers whose urinary mercury concentration showed over $100{\mu}g/l$ was relatively high, which was 0.62.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2013

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the workloads of industrial and automobile storage battery industries and their association to biological exposure indices. Background: Occupational lead exposure at battery manufacturing workplace is the most serious problem in safety and health management. Method: We surveyed 145 workers in 3 storage battery industries. Environmental factors(lead in air, temperature, humidity and vibration)), biological exposure indices(lead in blood and zinc protoporphyrin in blood) and individual workload factors(process type, work time, task type, weight handling and restrictive clothing) were measured in each unit workplace. Results/Conclusion: Air lead concentration is statistically significant in associations with workload factors(process type, work time, task type, and restrictive clothing) and environmental factors (humidity and vibration), whereas zinc protoporphyrin in blood are significantly associated with work time and weight handling. And lead in blood is significantly associated with work time, weight handling and temperature. Application: The results of this study are expected to be a fundamental data to job design.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.499-504
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• 1999

Objectives : To evaluate whether a relation between blood lead and zinc proto porphyrin(ZPP) was modified by gender in Korean lead workers. Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,304 male and 101 female subjects in 1997. The relation between blood lead and ZPP were evaluated with linear, exponential, and quadratic models. Then, the different effect of gender on the relation was examined by adding the interaction terms in the each model. Results : $Mean{\pm}SD$ of blood lead and ZPP level was different between male$(27.7{\pm}10{\mu}g/dl\;and\;51.3{\pm}23.4{\mu}g/dl)$ and female subjects$(22.5{\pm}9.2{\mu}g/dl\;and\;78.7{\pm}38.6{\mu}g/dl)$. After adjusting for possible confounders, the effect modification by gender was significant in linear$(\beta=1.119,\;p<0.001)$, exponential$(\beta=Exp(0.008),\;p<0.05)$, and quadratic model$(\beta=1.388,\;p<0.001)$. In separate analysis, a quadratic relation between blood lead and ZPP was shown in male lead workers$(\beta=0.036,\;p<0.001)$, but an exponential relation in female lead workers$(\beta=Exp(0.029), p<0.001)$. Conclusion : Our data showed that the increasing rate of ZPP in female were always higher than in male lead workers, suggesting that females were more susceptible to occupational lead exposure than males.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.189-190
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• 1999

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2007

This study was designed to investigate the difference of airborne lead concentration by type of lead industries and type of lead exposure and to evaluate their association with lead biomarkers of lead workers in 11 lead using industries. Total of 182 lead workers (male: 167, female: 15) from 11 lead industries were participated for this study from March, 2004 to August, 2005. Airborne lead concentration were measured by representative personal sampling of workers in each unit workplace and applied same concentration value to the workers in the same unit workplace who did not measure their airborne lead with personal air sampling. Tibia lead, blood lead, zinc protoporphyrin in whole blood, ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid in urine, hemoglobin and hematocrit were selected as study variables of indices of lead exposure. Information about type of lead exposure (fume or non-fume other), age, work duration, smoking & drinking habit were also collected. Significant differences were seen in the means of zinc protoporphyrin, blood lead and tibia lead in lead workers by different airborne lead concentration in workplace. While blood lead and tibia lead in lead workers were significantly higher in secondary smelting than other types of lead industries, zinc protoporphyrin, ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid in urine and airborne lead concentration were significantly higher in litharge manufacturing. While the mean blood lead was significantly higher in the lead workers working in fume type unit workplace than those of non-fume lead workers, the mean airborne lead concentration of fume workers was significantly lower than non-fume lead workers. In the multiple regression analysis of airborne lead concentration and the type of lead exposure on tibia lead and lead exposure indices after adjustment of related covariates, airborne lead concentration was statistically significantly associated with blood lead and tibia lead, but the type of lead exposure was only associated with blood lead. To verify the causal association of airborne lead concentration on blood lead and tibia lead, further studies are needed.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1997.10b
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• pp.215-216
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• 1997

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.608-616
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• 1992

Using the hematofluiorometer normal values of the erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin(ZPP) and ZPP/Heme ratio were measured in 312 males and 163 females aged from 6 month to 73 years old and compared with those of anemic persons. The mean$\pm$SD values of ZPP of normal Koreans were 28.5$\pm$6.4($\mu\textrm{g}$/dl) in males and 3.18$\pm$7.7 in females. the mean$\pm$SD of ZPP/Heme ratio were 49.5$\pm$12.3($\mu$mol/mol heme) in males and 62.0$\pm$15.8 in females. The difference in the mean ZPP and ZPP/Heme ratio values between male and female subjects were statistically signficant(p<0.0001) In male subjects the mean ZPP and ZPP/Heme ratio of the age groups less than 15 years old were higher than adult groups and the difference between age groups was significant(p<0.005 and p<0.0001 respecti-vely) The normal upper limit of the mean$\pm$2SD in normal male and female subjects were 41.3 and 47.2 for ZPP and 74.1 and 93.6 for ZPP/Heme ratio respectively. The mean values of ZPP and ZPP/Heme ratio measured in the anemic persons were higher than those of normal subjects and did not show any significant difference by the sex and age groups except in 6-14 years male groups. The test specificity(positivity) analyzed in the anemic persons by the cut-off values calculated from the normal data were 50.6% for ZPP and 73.0% for ZPP/Heme ratio. The correlation analysis between blood hemoglobin and erythrocyte ZPP or ZPP/Heme ratio in the total 801 normal and anemic subjects showed that there are very high logarithmic correlation between the hemoglobin levels and ZPP/Heme ratio (r=-0.8339) and high correla-tion between the hemoglobin levels and ZPP concentrations(r=-0.6372) These results suggested that the measurement of the erythrocyte ZPP and ZPP/Heme ratio with the hematofluorometer can be a usuful screening method for iron deficiency anermin because they provide a reliable immediate results with a small amount of sample and are relatively simple and inexpensive.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2011

Hemoglobin and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) tests are commonly used to screen for iron deficiency, but little research has been done to systematically evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of these two tests. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc protoporphyrin/heme (ZPP/H) ratio as a point-of-service screening test for iron deficiency among preschool-aged children by comparing the sensitivity and specificity of hemoglobin, ZPP/H ratio, and serum ferritin (SF). Also completed were assessments for the prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency (ID), and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with indicators of ferritin models. This study was carried out with 95 children ages 3 to 6 y. Anthropometric measurements were assessed and blood samples were analyzed for hemoglobin, SF, transferrin saturation (TS), and ZPP. Anemia was common and the prevalences of anemia, ID, and IDA were 14.7%, 12.6%, and 5.2%, respectively. The ZPP/H ratio was strongly and significantly correlated with hemoglobin. And ZPP/H ratio was a more sensitive test for ID than hemoglobin or SF measurement, correctly identifying more than twice as many iron-deficient children (sensitivity of 91.7%, compared to 41.7% for hemoglobin and SF). However, ZPP/H ratio had lower specificity (60.2%, compared to 89.1% for hemoglobin or 96.4% for SF) and resulted in the false identification of more subjects who actually were not iron deficient than did hemoglobin or SF. Low hemoglobin concentration is a late-stage indicator of ID, but ZPP/H ratio can detect ID at early stages and can be performed easily at a relatively low cost. Therefore, ZPP/H ratio can serve as a potential screening test for pre-anemic iron deficiency in community pediatric practices.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2011

In 1967, the problem of occupational lead exposure came to public attention in Korea. Since then, regular progress has been made in lowering workplace lead exposures, instituting new workplace controls, and implementing health examinations of exposed workers. Past serious lead poisoning episodes made it possible to introduce biological monitoring programs on a voluntary basis in high-lead-exposure facilities in Korea. Industry-specific occupational health services for lead workers in Korea during the last 22 years can be categorized into three phases. During the first phase (1988-1993), efforts were directed at increasing awareness among workers about the hazards of lead exposure, biological monitoring of blood zinc protoporphyrin began, and a respiratory protection program was introduced. During the second phase (1994-1997), a computerized health management system for lead workers was developed, blood-lead measurement was added to biologic monitoring, and engineering controls were introduced in the workplace to lower air-lead levels to comply with air-lead regulations. Finally, during the third phase (1998-present), a new biomarker, bone-lead measurement by X-ray fluorescence, was introduced. Bone-lead measurement proved to be useful for assessing body burden and to demonstrate past lead exposure in retired workers. Occupational health service practice for lead workers, including the industry-specific group occupational health system, has brought considerable success in the prevention of lead poisoning and in reducing the lead burden in Korean lead workers during the last several decades. The successful achievement of prevention of lead poisoning in Korea was a result of the combined efforts of lead workers, employers, relevant government agencies, and academic institutes.