ABSTRACT

The aim of the work was an estimation of the effect of smoking on environmental exposure to CO people living in industrial area of Sosnowiec (a city situated in Upper Silesia) and Tomaszów Lubelski (not much industrially town situated at the border of Roztocze National Park). The investigated material was vein blood of 102 blood donors from Sosnowiec and 103 blood donors from Tomaszów Lubelski both smokers and non-smokers. The level of CO exposure was estimated by determination of carbon monoxide haemoglobin (HbCO) concentration in blood by Wolfs method in Antczak’s adaptation. It was stated that average HbCO concentration at non-smokers from Sosnowiec (2,09%) was about 0,9% higher than the one at non-smokers from Tomaszów Lubelski (1,17%). An increase of HbCO concentration in blood of non-smokers from Sosnowiec as compared with non-smokers from Tomaszów Lubelski included also 50 and 90 percentile. In relation to 50 percentile it was 2,05 and 1,0% and in relation to 90 percentile 2,4 and 3,7% respectively. The influence of external environment on CO exposure at smokers was estimated on the base of HbCO determination in blood before starting smoking. It was 2,77 at smokers from Sosnowiec and 1,41% at smokers from Tomaszów Lubelski. Analysing the effect of smoking on smokers exposure to CO it was stated that HbCO concentration in blood in both groups increased linearly with the increase of the number of smoked cigarettes, and average increase per one cigarette was 0,43% for smokers from Sosnowiec and 0,57% for smokers from Tomaszów Lubelski. On the base of the obtained results the following conclusions were drawn:
1. industrial and communal environment contamination with carbon monoxide influences considerably the exposure of both smokers and non-smokers.
2. smoking effects significantly more the exposure of people (smokers) to carbon monoxide than environmental pollution in the investigated industrial area.
3. the exposure to carbon monoxide at smokers up with the environmental exposure.