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OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to evaluate whether blood cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) in children differ regionally in 9 countries, and to identify factors correlating with exposure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The authors performed a cross-sectional study of children aged 7-14 years, living in 2007-2008 in urban, rural, or potentially polluted ("hot spot") areas (ca. 50 children from each area, in total 1363 children) in 6 European and 3 non-European countries. The authors analyzed Cd, Pb, and total Hg in blood and collected information on potential determinants of exposure through questionnaires. Regional differences in exposure levels were assessed within each country. RESULTS: Children living near industrial "hot-spots" had B-Cd 1.6 (95% CI: 1.4-1.9) times higher in the Czech Republic and 2.1 (95% CI:1.6-2.8) times higher in Poland, as compared to urban children in the same countries (geometric means [GM]: 0.13 µg/l and 0.15 µg/l, respectively). Correspondingly, B-Pb in the "hot spot" areas was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6-2.1) times higher than in urban areas in Slovakia and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.9-2.7) times higher in Poland (urban GM: 19.4 µg/l and 16.3 µg/l, respectively). In China and Morocco, rural children had significantly lower B-Pb than urban ones (urban GM: 64 µg/l and 71 µg/l, respectively), suggesting urban exposure from leaded petrol, water pipes and/or coal-burning. Hg "hot spot" areas in China had B-Hg 3.1 (95% CI: 2.7-3.5) times higher, and Ecuador 1.5 (95% CI: 1.2-1.9) times higher, as compared to urban areas (urban GM: 2.45 µg/l and 3.23 µg/l, respectively). Besides industrial exposure, traffic correlated with B-Cd; male sex, environmental tobacco smoke, and offal consumption with B-Pb; and fish consumption and amalgam fillings with B-Hg. However, these correlations could only marginally explain regional differences. CONCLUSIONS: These mainly European results indicate that some children experience about doubled exposures to toxic elements just because of where they live. These exposures are unsafe, identifiable, and preventable and therefore call for preventive actions. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):349-64.
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Cádmio , Mercúrio , Masculino , Animais , Chumbo , Marrocos/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Equador , ChinaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The uterine environment may influence telomere length at birth, which is essential for cellular function, aging, and disease susceptibility over the lifespan. However, little is known about the impact of toxic chemicals on early-life telomeres. Therefore, we assessed the potential impact of multiple toxic metals on relative telomere length (rTL) in the maternal blood, cord blood, and placenta, as well as the potential modifying effects of pro-oxidants. METHOD: In a mother-child cohort in northern Argentina (n = 169), we measured multiple toxic metals in the maternal blood or urine collected during late pregnancy, as well as the placenta and cord blood collected at delivery, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We assessed associations of log2-transformed metal concentrations with rTL, measured in maternal and cord blood leukocytes and the placenta by real-time PCR, using multivariable-adjusted linear regression. Additionally, we tested for modifications by antioxidants (zinc, selenium, folate, and vitamin D3). RESULTS: Exposure to boron and antimony during pregnancy was associated with shorter maternal rTL, and lithium with longer maternal rTL; a doubling of exposure was associated with changes corresponding to 0.2-0.4 standard deviations (SD) of the rTL. Arsenic concentrations in the placenta (n = 98), blood, and urine were positively associated with placental rTL, about 0.2 SD by doubled arsenic. In the cord blood (n = 88), only lead was associated with rTL (inversely), particularly in boys (p for interaction 0.09). Stratifying by newborn sex showed ten times stronger association in boys (about 0.6 SD) than in girls. The studied antioxidants did not modify the associations, except that with antimony. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated exposure to boron, lithium, arsenic, and antimony was associated with maternal or newborn rTL in a tissue-specific, for lead also sex-specific, manner. Nutritional antioxidants did not generally influence the associations.
Assuntos
Antioxidantes/administração & dosagem , Exposição Ambiental/análise , Exposição Materna , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição Materna , Metais Pesados/toxicidade , Homeostase do Telômero/fisiologia , Telômero/fisiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Argentina/epidemiologia , Criança , Estudos de Coortes , Dieta , Exposição Ambiental/prevenção & controle , Feminino , Sangue Fetal/efeitos dos fármacos , Sangue Fetal/metabolismo , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Exposição Materna/estatística & dados numéricos , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição Materna/efeitos dos fármacos , Troca Materno-Fetal/efeitos dos fármacos , Troca Materno-Fetal/genética , Metais Pesados/análise , Metais Pesados/sangue , Metais Pesados/urina , Mães , Placenta/efeitos dos fármacos , Placenta/metabolismo , Gravidez , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/induzido quimicamente , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/epidemiologia , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/genética , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/prevenção & controle , Telômero/efeitos dos fármacos , Homeostase do Telômero/efeitos dos fármacos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Experimental studies show developmental toxicity of boron and we recently found impaired weight and length in newborns of mothers exposed to boron through drinking water during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate potential impact of pre- and postnatal boron exposure on infant anthropometry. METHODS: In our mother-child cohort (nâ¯=â¯177) in Argentinean Andes, where drinking water concentrations of boron, lithium and arsenic have been found to vary considerably, we collected maternal blood and urine during and after pregnancy, placenta, breast milk, as well as infant urine and blood during the first 6 months of life. In all samples, boron and other potentially toxic elements were measured by ICP-MS. Infant weight (g), length (cm) and head circumference (cm) were measured at birth, 0-3 (nâ¯=â¯120) and/or 3-6 months (nâ¯=â¯120; 79 overlap) of age. RESULTS: Boron concentrations in breast milk (range: 46-786⯵g/L) correlated strongly with those in maternal serum (range: 47-624⯵g/L; rs =â¯0.94) 0-3 months post-partum. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression, urinary boron (log2-transformed; range 60-9200⯵g/L) in the youngest infants, but not maternal serum boron during pregnancy, was inversely associated with body weight at both 0-3 months (B: -141, 95% CI: -240; -42, pâ¯=â¯0.006) and 3-6 months (B: -200, 95% CI: -377; -23, pâ¯=â¯0.027). Infant urinary boron was also inversely associated with head circumference at 0-3 months (B: -0.39, 95% CI: -0.74; -0.04, pâ¯=â¯0.028), as well as length (B: -0.57, 95% CI: -1.1; -0.03, pâ¯=â¯0.040) and head circumference (B: -0.30, 95% CI: -0.64; 0.04, pâ¯=â¯0.083) at 3-6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The observed first evidence that elevated environmental boron exposure in early infancy may adversely affect growth supports previous findings of boron-related impaired fetal growth. More research is needed to verify the findings at older age and in other populations.
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Boro/metabolismo , Exposição Ambiental/estatística & dados numéricos , Poluentes Ambientais/metabolismo , Idoso , Argentina , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Exposição Materna , Mães , GravidezRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Nickel is a strong skin and respiratory sensitizer and a recognized carcinogen. Oil refineries are important sources of atmospheric emissions of toxic pollutants, including nickel. Populations residing close to oil refineries are at potential risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure to nickel in a population living close to the largest oil refinery in Ecuador, located in the city of Esmeraldas. METHODOLOGY: We recruited 47 workers from the oil refinery as well as 195 students from 4 different schools close to the plant and 94 students from another school 25 km far from the industry. Urinary nickel concentrations were used to assess the exposure to nickel. RESULTS: Students from the school next to the oil refinery showed the highest urinary nickel concentrations while workers from the refinery showed the lowest concentrations. Median nickel concentrations were > 2µg/L in all study groups. CONCLUSIONS: The populations living close to the oil refineries are potentially exposed to nickel from atmospheric emissions. Further studies investigating nickel-related health effects in the population residing close to the refinery of Esmeralda are needed.
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Exposição Ambiental/efeitos adversos , Indústrias , Níquel/toxicidade , Poluição por Petróleo/efeitos adversos , Adolescente , Adulto , Criança , Equador , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Níquel/análise , Níquel/urina , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Medição de Risco , Estudantes , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Boron is a metalloid found at highly varying concentrations in soil and water. Experimental data indicate that boron is a developmental toxicant, but the few human toxicity data available concern mostly male reproduction. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate potential effects of boron exposure through drinking water on pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: In a mother-child cohort in northern Argentina (n=194), 1-3 samples of serum, whole blood and urine were collected per woman during pregnancy and analyzed for boron and other elements to which exposure occurred, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Infant weight, length and head circumference were measured at birth. RESULTS: Drinking water boron ranged 377-10,929µg/L. The serum boron concentrations during pregnancy ranged 0.73-605µg/L (median 133µg/L) and correlated strongly with whole-blood and urinary boron, and, to a lesser extent, with water boron. In multivariable-adjusted linear spline regression analysis (non-linear association), we found that serum boron concentrations above 80µg/L were inversely associated with birth length (B-0.69cm, 95% CI -1.4; -0.024, p=0.043, per 100µg/L increase in serum boron). The impact of boron appeared stronger when we restricted the exposure to the third trimester, when the serum boron concentrations were the highest (0.73-447µg/L). An increase in serum boron of 100µg/L in the third trimester corresponded to 0.9cm shorter and 120g lighter newborns (p=0.001 and 0.021, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Considering that elevated boron concentrations in drinking water are common in many areas of the world, although more screening is warranted, our novel findings warrant additional research on early-life exposure in other populations.
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Peso ao Nascer , Boro/toxicidade , Água Potável/química , Gravidez/sangue , Adolescente , Adulto , Argentina , Boro/sangue , Estudos de Coortes , Feminino , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Resultado da Gravidez , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from an international longitudinal study. A baseline questionnaire, which included questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory about seven common symptoms, was completed by 12,072 participants aged 20-59 from 46 occupational groups in 18 countries (response rate 70%). The seven symptoms were all mutually associated (odds ratios for pairwise associations 3.4 to 9.3), and each contributed to a measure of somatising tendency that exhibited an exposure-response relationship both with multi-site pain (prevalence rate ratios up to six), and also with sickness absence for non-musculoskeletal reasons. In most participants, the level of somatising tendency was little changed when reassessed after a mean interval of 14 months (75% having a change of 0 or 1 in their symptom count), although the specific symptoms reported at follow-up often differed from those at baseline. Somatising tendency was more common in women than men, especially at older ages, and varied markedly across the 46 occupational groups studied, with higher rates in South and Central America. It was weakly associated with smoking, but not with level of education. Our study supports the use of questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory as a method for measuring somatising tendency, and suggests that in adults of working age, it is a fairly stable trait.
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Sintomas Inexplicáveis , Transtornos Somatoformes/epidemiologia , Adulto , Atitude Frente a Saúde , América Central , Feminino , Humanos , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Dor Musculoesquelética/epidemiologia , Doenças Profissionais/epidemiologia , Ocupações , Razão de Chances , Prevalência , América do Sul , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
There is increasing evidence of adverse health effects due to elevated lithium exposure through drinking water but the impact on calcium homeostasis is unknown. This study aimed at elucidating if lithium exposure through drinking water during pregnancy may impair the maternal calcium homeostasis. In a population-based mother-child cohort in the Argentinean Andes (n=178), with elevated lithium concentrations in the drinking water (5-1660µg/L), blood lithium concentrations (correlating significantly with lithium in water, urine and plasma) were measured repeatedly during pregnancy by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and used as exposure biomarker. Markers of calcium homeostasis included: plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calcium, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations in serum and urine. The median maternal blood lithium concentration was 25µg/L (range 1.9-145). In multivariable-adjusted mixed-effects linear regression models, blood lithium was inversely associated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (-6.1nmol/L [95%CI -9.5; -2.6] for a 25µg/L increment in blood lithium). The estimate increased markedly with increasing percentiles of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. In multivariable-adjusted mixed-effects logistic regression models, the odds ratio of having 25-hydroxyvitamin D3<30nmol/L (19% of the women) was 4.6 (95%CI 1.1; 19.3) for a 25µg/L increment in blood lithium. Blood lithium was also positively associated with serum magnesium, but not with serum calcium and PTH, and inversely associated with urinary calcium and magnesium. In conclusion, our study suggests that lithium exposure through drinking water during pregnancy may impair the calcium homeostasis, particularly vitamin D. The results reinforce the need for better control of lithium in drinking water, including bottled water.
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Cálcio/sangue , Cálcio/urina , Água Potável/análise , Exposição Ambiental , Homeostase , Lítio/metabolismo , Poluentes Químicos da Água/metabolismo , Adolescente , Adulto , Argentina , Biomarcadores/sangue , Biomarcadores/urina , Feminino , Humanos , Lítio/análise , Lítio/sangue , Lítio/urina , Estudos Longitudinais , Gravidez , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análise , Poluentes Químicos da Água/sangue , Poluentes Químicos da Água/urina , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Methylation of the promoter of BRCA1 gene in peripheral blood (epimutation) has been associated with increased risk for breast cancer. Some studies have indicated that this epimutation is of constitutional origin and hence it could potentially be transmitted across generations. We used methylation sensitive high resolution melting technique to measure methylation of BRCA1 promoter in blood samples from 226 healthy women from the Andean region in Salta province, northern Argentina. In total 29 (13%) of the women showed detectable methylation of this gene. The analyses of mother-daughter pairs in this study, showed discordant methylation of BRCA1 between generations, with mothers tested positive for BRCA1 methylation in blood having daughters without signs of BRCA1 methylation, and vice versa. Our results show that the BRCA1 epimutation is unlikely transmitted from mother to daughters and hence may be a consequence of environmental exposure.
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Proteína BRCA1/genética , Metilação de DNA , Mães , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Argentina , Criança , Feminino , Interação Gene-Ambiente , Voluntários Saudáveis , Hereditariedade , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Lithium, used for treating bipolar disease, crosses freely the placenta and is classified as teratogenic. It is unclear to what extent environmental lithium exposure may affect fetal growth and development. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate potential effects of lithium exposure through drinking water during pregnancy on fetal size. METHODS: We developed a prospective population-based mother-child cohort (N=194) in an area with highly varying drinking water lithium concentrations (5-1600 µg/L) in northern Argentinean Andes. Blood and urinary lithium concentrations (sampled repeatedly during pregnancy) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We measured fetal size by ultrasound in second and third trimesters, and weight, length and head circumference at birth. Multivariable models were used to examine associations between lithium exposure (continuous and in tertiles) and fetal size measures. RESULTS: Lithium in maternal blood (median 25; range 1.9-145 µg/L) and urine (1645; 105-4600 µg/L) was inversely associated (apparently linearly) with all fetal measures (body, head and femur) in the second trimester, and with birth length (ß -0.53 cm per 25 µg/L increase in blood lithium, 95%CI -1.0; -0.052). An increase of 100 µg/L in blood was associated with 2 cm shorter newborns (about one standard deviation). CONCLUSIONS: Lithium exposure through drinking water was associated with impaired fetal size and this seemed to be initiated in early gestation. Further studies are warranted to confirm causality and to understand the mechanisms. If confirmed, these findings have public health relevance and emphasize the need for more data on lithium concentrations in drinking water, including bottled water.
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Água Potável/química , Exposição Ambiental/efeitos adversos , Desenvolvimento Fetal/efeitos dos fármacos , Lítio/toxicidade , Adolescente , Adulto , Argentina , Estatura/efeitos dos fármacos , Exposição Ambiental/análise , Feminino , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Lítio/sangue , Lítio/urina , Masculino , Análise Multivariada , Gravidez , Segundo Trimestre da Gravidez , Estudos Prospectivos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the daily intake of essential micronutrients and toxic elements through breast milk in exclusive and nonexclusive breastfed infants living in an area with major mine tailing deposition (n = 24), compared with a control area (n = 11). STUDY DESIGN: The milk volume ingested by 2 to 4 and 4 to 6 month infants was measured by a stable isotopic method. Elements in milk, maternal and infant urine, and drinking water were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: Similar breast milk volume and essential micronutrients intake in groups of exclusively breastfed infants, but more cadmium, boron, and lithium through breastfeeding in experimental area was found. This exposure was even higher in the nonexclusively breastfed infants, who also ingested more arsenic, boron, and lithium than exclusive breastfed infants. CONCLUSION: The use of the deuterium and the ICP-MS methods made it possible to evaluate the exact amount of essential and toxic elements ingested by infants through breast milk demonstrating that lower amount of toxic elements are transferred to exclusive breastfed infants compared with those who additionally received nonmaternal milk.