Neuroimmunotoxic Effects of Occupational Exposure to Lead and Mercury

Occupational exposure to lead and mercury continues topose a threat to workers, making early detection of their neurotoxiceffects a pressing concern. The levels of sera autoantibodies tonervous system proteins can be of good value in this purpose. Thisstudy was carried out to detect subclinical neurotoxicity caused byoccupational exposure to lead (n = 27) and mercury (n = 24) usingblood levels autoantibodies against neural proteins. The autoantibodiesused were the IgG and IgM types of anti-NF68, anti-NF160, anti-NF200, anti-MBP and anti-GFAP. Compared to thecontrols (n = 30), both exposed groups showed higher percentage ofpositive titers for anti-NF68 (IgG), anti-NF200 (IgM), anti-GFAP(IgG, IgM) and anti-MBP (IgM). Higher median values were obtainedfor anti-NF200 (IgG, IgM), anti-GFAP (IgM) and anti-MBP (IgM).Anti-NF160 was not affected by exposure. Determination of seraneuroantibodies levels is recommended in the biological monitoringof lead and mercury exposure.