Background: One byproduct of cement production is dust, which is harmful to the lungs. This study aimed to measure the level of serum CC16 as a potential biomarker to evaluate lung epithelial permeability among employees working at the cement production facilities in the New Badush cement plant, Nineveh.
Methods: This study included 90 male participants, comprising 55 workers, and 35 healthy control subjects. CC16 serum levels were measured by ELISA and were correlated to biochemical parameters (Cr, Cu, LDH), hematological parameters, and pulmonary function tests (FEV1, PEF).
Results: An obvious decrease in CC16 levels was observed in workers compared to controls (539.3±30.5 pg/ml vs. 1010±167 pg/ml). Elimination of CC16 levels was directly linked to the number of working years, working hours, smoking, increased body mass index (BMI), and distance of residence to the cement plant. Among the workers, those at grinding and packaging units had the lowest CC16 levels due to the highest dust exposure. In the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.809, with a sensitivity of 0.966 at a threshold of 877.5 ng/ml.
Conclusions: Cement dust exposure leads to increased oxidative stress and damage to the Clara cells, which results in the lowered secretion of CC16. CC16 is a critical enzyme for diagnosing early stages of lung injury which can improve occupational health surveillance and clinical promptness.