Study of effects on haematological parameters of rabbits intratracheally exposed to coal fly ash

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of the inorganic constituents of coal on the haematological parameters of rabbits. Coal obtained from mines in Enugu, Nigeria was ashed at temperature of 900 degrees C and the ash was fractionated to obtain a size range of 4-5 microm mean particle diameter. Rabbits were exposed to 50, 100 and 200 mg per kilogram weight of the rabbits through intratracheal instillation. The exposure period was 14 days consecutively. Phosphate buffered saline was used as the carrier. Blood samples were collected on day 0, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 immediately before fly ash administration and also on the seventh day after termination of administration (day 21). Haematological parameters (red blood cell, white blood cell, haemoglobin estimation and packed cell volume as well as platelet counts) were evaluated. Slight decreases in all the haematological parameters evaluated within the 3-week study period were generally observed. These decreases were not however found to be significant when subjected to the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test at 99 per cent confidence level. From the results of this study, the suitability of the bituminous coal as a fuel with minimal appropriate management is suggested.