Urinary nickel and progesterone in workers exposed to urban pollutants

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the exposure to a low dose of nickel could determinate a variation in levels of progesterone in outdoor workers. Materials and methods: Two hundred sixty one subjects were divided by sex, task, age, seniority, and cigarette smoking habit. For each workers was evaluated the dose of blood progesterone and urinary nickel. The statistical analysis was performed. Results: The Pearson correlation showed a statistically significant correlation between urinary nickel levels and progesterone. The multiple linear regression showed a significant correlation between progesterone and urinary nickel in the total sample and in the subgroups of smokers and workers with tasks of traffic direction. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that occupational exposure to low doses of nickel present in urban pollution may influence to progesterone levels in outdoor workers