Relationship between Hexavalent Chromium Exposure in Drinking Water and Blood Routine, Oxidative Stress Indexes

Objective To investigate the impact of hexavalent chromium exposure in drinking water on blood routine and oxidative stress indices among residents from a rural area in China.

Methods Based on historical drinking water quality monitoring data, two villages with centralized water supply and indice was unqualified before in a rural area of western China were selected as exposure groups A and B, and two villages from the town where hexavalent chromium was qualified before were selected as control group. The levels of hexavalent chromium in finished water and terminal water of the above villages/counties was measured. Personal information was collected from the respondents, and venous blood samples were collected to measure blood routine indices, trace elements, and the activity of enzymes involved in oxidative stress.

Results The levels of hexavalent chromium in finished water and terminal water were < 0.05 mg/L in the control group, 0.066 and 0.065 mg/L, respectively, in the exposure group A, and 0.208 and 0.210 mg/L, respectively, in the exposure group B. A total of 119 respondents were included in this study, with 38 in the control group, 42 in the exposure group A, and 39 in the exposure group B. The three groups had similar demographic features; the exposure group A had significantly higher iron level in whole blood than that of the control group (P < 0.05), and the exposure group B had a significantly higher platelet count than that of the exposure group A and the control group (P < 0.05). The exposure groups A and B had a significantly higher activity of serum superoxide dismutase than that of the control group; the exposure group B had a significantly higher activity of serum catalase than the control group; the exposure group A had a significantly higher activity of serum glutathione peroxidase than that of the exposure group B and the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Hexavalent chromium exposure in drinking water does not lead to obvious changes in red blood cell count and mean corpuscular volume, and some oxidative stress indices in the exposed population are higher than those in the control population.