Abstract

Lead and cadmium are common environmental contaminants that alter the immune response. Natural killer cell (NK) cytotoxicity and phenotypic parameters are crucial immune responses, but little is known about the effects of these metals on these responses. In the present paper, we investigated the simultaneous effects of lead and cadmium on NK cell activity and CD4⁺, CD20⁺ cell percentages in the workers and compared the data with control and lead-exposed groups. We conclude that simultaneous exposure to lead and cadmium is not associated with an impairment of either NK cell function or CD4⁺ cell percentage. On the other hand, CD20⁺ cell percentage was found higher in lead+cadmium exposed group than controls.