Occupational Hazard Exposure: Assessment of Hypogonadism and Dyslipidemia in House and Automobile Painters in Ilorin, Nigeria

Aims: To investigate the impact of human exposure to the constituents of paint on serum reproductive hormone and Lipid profile among occupationally exposed House and Automobile spray painters in Yakuba district of Ilorin East Local Government area of Kwara State. Nigeria.

Study Design: Experimental./ Cross sectional.

Place and Duration of Study: Yakuba district of Ilorin East Local Government area of Kwara State. Nigeria, 6months; between July 23 and January 2024.

Methodology: 120 male participants were recruited for this study with the mean age 33.15±0.86 years. The participants included 40 automobile painters, 40 house painters, and male artisans who were not painters and served as the control group .Venous Blood samples were collected from both the test and control subjects for the measurement of serum lipids and testosterone using reference techniques.

Results: Total Cholesterol, Triglyceride, HD and LDL cholesterol were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the exposed automobile and house painters than the control groups. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the serum lipid values of the automobile and the house painters. The serum testosterone level in both group of exposed painters was statistically similar(P>0.05).

There was no significant correlation (P>0.05) between the frequency of cars or houses painted per month and work experience with the lipid profile parameters and testosterone levels in the occupationally exposed house and automobile painters.

Conclusion: Occupational exposure to some chemical constituents of paint is associated with dyslipidemia and decrease serum testosterone which may precipitate adverse ill health among the painters.