Hematological, cholesterolemic and clinical profile in exposed to outdoor air pollution linked to the incineration of biomedical waste in Benin

Introduction: Incineration is one of the treatment methods for biomedical waste (BMW). It is a source of toxic air pollutant emission. The study aimed to compare the haematological, cholesterolemic and clinical profile of subjects exposed to this pollution to controls.
Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional study on 154 exposed subjects selected within 500 meters of the incineration sites of solid biomedical waste and controls, among new blood donors, matched on age, sex, level of education, cooking mode. The hematological parameters and cholesterolemia were obtained by standardized procedure on automata. The proportions of subjects were compared with a chi-square test. The dispersion analysis of the biological parameters was made by the non-parametric Wilcoxon test at the 5% threshold.
Results: The two groups were comparable for matching. The frequency of respiratory symptoms ranged from 20.1 - 79.2% in exposed versus 4.5 - 54.5% in controls. The frequency of neurological symptoms ranged from 26.6 - 76.6% in exposed versus 1.9 - 51.9% in controls. Hemoglobin (p=0.001), hematocrit (p=0.051) were low in the exposed and white blood cells (p=0.003) and platelets (p<0.001) high. Total cholesterol (p<0.001) was twice as high and HDL six times lower in the exposed (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The exposed presented a more altered hematological and cholesterolemic profile with more frequent symptoms. It is essential to improve the management practice of BMW in our hospitals through the use of innovative, less polluting technologies