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Pan S, Li Z, Rubbo B, Quon-Chow V, Chen JC, Baumert BO, Garcia E, Aung MT, Conti DV, Chatzi L. Applications of mixture methods in epidemiological studies investigating the health impact of persistent organic pollutants exposures: a scoping review. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2024:10.1038/s41370-024-00717-3. [PMID: 39256588 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-024-00717-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 08/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmental chemicals characterized by long half-lives in nature and human bodies, posing significant health risks. The concept of the exposome, encompassing all lifetime environmental exposures, underscores the importance of studying POP as mixtures rather than in isolation. The increasing body of evidence on the health impacts of POP mixtures necessitates the proper application of statistical methods. OBJECTIVES We aimed to summarize studies on the overall effects of POP mixtures, identify patterns in applications of mixture methods-statistical methods for investigating the association of mixtures-and highlight current challenges in synthesizing epidemiologic evidence of POP mixtures on health effects as illustrated through a case study. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed and Embase for epidemiological studies published between January 2011 and April 2023. RESULTS We included 240 studies that met our eligibility criteria. 126 studies focused on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mixtures only, while 40 analyzed three or more classes of POPs in mixture analyses. We identified 23 unique mixture methods used to estimate the overall effects of POP mixtures, with Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), a type of response-surface modeling, being the most common. Additionally, 22.9% of studies used a combination of methods, including response-surface modeling, index modeling, dimension reduction, and latent variable models. The most extensively explored health outcome category was body weight and birth sizes (n = 43), and neurological outcomes (n = 41). In the case study of PFAS mixtures and birth weight, 12 studies showed negative associations, while 4 showed null results, and 2 showed positive associations. IMPACT STATEMENT This scoping review consolidates the existing literature on the overall effects of POP mixtures using statistical methods. By providing a comprehensive overview, our study illuminates the present landscape of knowledge in this field and underscores the methodological hurdles prevalent in epidemiological studies focused on POP mixtures. Through this analysis, we aim to steer future research directions, fostering a more nuanced comprehension of the intricate dynamics involved in assessing the health effects of POP mixtures. Our work stands as a significant contribution to the ongoing exploration of the chemical exposome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shudi Pan
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Zhenjiang Li
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bruna Rubbo
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Victoria Quon-Chow
- Department of Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jiawen Carmen Chen
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brittney O Baumert
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Erika Garcia
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Max T Aung
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David V Conti
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lida Chatzi
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lane JM, Liu SH, Pantic I, Martinez-Medina S, Téllez-Rojo MM, Amarasiriwardena C, Wright RO. Sex-specific association between prenatal manganese exposure and working memory in school-aged children in Mexico city: An exploratory multi-media approach. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 333:121965. [PMID: 37286025 PMCID: PMC10527609 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
It remains unclear whether manganese (Mn) exposure affects working memory (WM) in a sexually dimorphic manner. Further, no gold standard media exists to measure Mn, suggesting a combined blood and urinary Mn index may better capture the totality of exposure. We investigated the modification effect of child sex on the influence of prenatal Mn exposure on WM in school-age children, exploring two methodological frameworks to integrate exposure estimates across multiple exposure biomarkers. Leveraging the PROGRESS birth cohort in Mexico City, children (N = 559) ages 6-8 completed the between errors and strategy measures of the CANTAB Spatial Working Memory (SWM) task. Mn levels were assayed in blood and urine of mothers during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and in umbilical cord blood from mothers and children at delivery. Weighted quantile sum regression estimated the association of a multi-media biomarker (MMB) mixture with SWM. We applied a confirmatory factor analysis to similarly quantify a latent blood Mn burden index. We then used an adjusted linear regression to estimate the Mn burden index with SWM measures. Interaction terms were used to estimate the modification effect by child sex for all models. Results showed that the between-errors-specific MMB mixture (i.e., this model demonstrates the impact of the MMB mixture on the between-error scores.) was associated (β = 6.50, 95% CI: 0.91, 12.08) with fewer between errors for boys and more between errors for girls. The strategy-specific MMB mixture (i.e., this model demonstrates the impact of the MMB mixture on the strategy scores) was associated (β = -1.36, 95% CI: 2.55, - 0.18) with less efficient strategy performance for boys and more efficient strategy performance for girls. A higher Mn burden index was associated (β = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.00, 1.72) with more between errors in the overall sample. The vulnerability to prenatal Mn biomarkers on SWM differs in the directionality by child sex. An MMB mixture and composite index of body burden are stronger predictors than a single biomarker for Mn exposure on WM performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamil M Lane
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Shelley H Liu
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ivan Pantic
- Division of Community Interventions Research, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sandra Martinez-Medina
- Division of Community Interventions Research, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Martha M Téllez-Rojo
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Chitra Amarasiriwardena
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Ivanova E, Eltsova L, Komov V, Borisov M, Tropin N, Borboshova S, Rumiantseva O, Petrova V, Udodenko Y. Assessment of the consumptive safety of mercury in fish from the surface waters of the Vologda region in northwestern Russia. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2023; 45:863-879. [PMID: 35334022 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-022-01254-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
It is known that the consumption of fish is the main source of mercury intake in human beings. In this study, the concentration of mercury in the muscle tissue of fish from different reservoirs of northwestern Russia was found to be 0.01-1.68 μg/g wet weight. The features of mercury accumulation in the muscle tissue of fish, depending on their type, trophic specialization, body weight, length, and the type of water body, were also revealed. Of the fish studied, 7% had mercury concentrations above the regulatory levels of the Russian Federation. The proportion of examined fish, the consumption of which will lead to an excess of the permissible weekly intake of mercury in the individual, is 44% for preschool children (2-5 years old), 34% for children of primary school age (6-10 years old), and 17% for adults. Special attention is drawn to the fact that the mercury content in fish that does not exceed the sanitary and hygienic standards (normative levels) of the Russian Federation may still be unsafe for the health of the population, especially children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Ivanova
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
| | - Liubov Eltsova
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia.
| | - Victor Komov
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, 152742, Russia
| | - Mikhail Borisov
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
- Vologda Branch of the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution «Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography», Vologda, 160000, Russia
| | - Nikolay Tropin
- Vologda Branch of the Federal State Budget Scientific Institution «Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography», Vologda, 160000, Russia
| | - Samanta Borboshova
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
| | - Olga Rumiantseva
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
| | - Victoria Petrova
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
| | - Yuri Udodenko
- Cherepovets State University, Lunacharsky Prospect, 5, Cherepovets, 162600, Russia
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, 152742, Russia
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Bartel-Steinbach M, Lermen D, Gwinner F, Schäfer M, Göen T, Conrad A, Weber T, von Briesen H, Kolossa-Gehring M. Long-term monitoring of mercury in young German adults: Time trend analyses from the German Environmental Specimen Bank, 1995-2018. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 207:112592. [PMID: 34973943 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As highlighted in the Minamata Convention, Mercury (Hg) in its various forms poses a substantial risk to human health and the environment. The health relevance of Hg is also recognized by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), which classifies Hg as a priority substance, since considerable knowledge and data gaps on Hg exposure levels and their changes over time still exist in Europe. The German Environmental Specimen Bank (German ESB) provides valuable policy relevant data and long-term trends of substance exposure on a national level for international comparison and evaluation. In this study we analysed data of the German ESB on Hg exposure of young adults aged 20 to 29 including data on urinary Hg levels from 1995 to 2018 and whole blood Hg levels from 2001 to 2010. Results show a clear decrease in both, about 86% in urine total daily Hg excretion from 1995 (0.76 μg/L) to 2018 (0.11 μg/L) (n = 10,069) and about 57% in blood concentrations of Hg from 2001 (1.76 μg/L) to 2010 (0.77 μg/L) (n = 4085). Over the investigated timeframe only a few values exceeded the toxicologically derived health based guidance value HBM I for blood and urine, with these exceedances decreasing over time in line with the general trend. The factors mostly influencing Hg excretion identified in this study are dental amalgam as well as fish and seafood consumption. Besides other factors (e.g. age and sex), also airborne Hg exposure appears to be a low but evident influencing factor in Germany. Although a considerable decrease in internal Hg exposure is recognized in the last decades, the current low-level exposure may cause adverse health effects especially to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children. To further elucidate and evaluate current exposure sources and to reduce human exposure to Hg, continuous environmental and human biomonitoring is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dominik Lermen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - Frederik Gwinner
- Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - Moritz Schäfer
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thomas Göen
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - André Conrad
- German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Weber
- German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), Berlin, Germany
| | - Hagen von Briesen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, Sulzbach, Germany
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Kupsco A, Lee JJ, Prada D, Valvi D, Hu L, Petersen MS, Coull BA, Weihe P, Grandjean P, Baccarelli AA. Marine pollutant exposures and human milk extracellular vesicle-microRNAs in a mother-infant cohort from the Faroe Islands. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 158:106986. [PMID: 34991248 PMCID: PMC8742869 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Early life exposures to marine contaminants can adversely impact child health but modes of action are unclear. Human milk contains extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can transport biologically relevant cargo from mother to infant, including microRNAs (miRNAs), and may partly mediate the effects of pollutants on child health. However, the role of marine pollutants on miRNA expression in milk EVs is unexplored. METHODS We isolated EV RNA from 333 milk samples collected between 2 and 74 days postpartum from a Faroese birth cohort born 1997-2000 and sequenced 2083 miRNAs using a targeted library preparation method. We quantified five perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticide metabolite p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and the sum of three major polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs) in maternal serum at 34 weeks of gestation and maternal hair total mercury (Hg) at birth. We used negative binomial regressions to estimate associations between individual pollutants and 418 reliably expressed EV-miRNAs adjusted for potential confounders. We performed sparse principal components (PCs) analysis to derive the first four components of the EV-miRNA data and examined associations between pollutants and PCs using Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). RESULTS We observed no associations between pollutants and individual EV-miRNA expression after controlling the false discovery rate at 0.1. However, BKMR suggested that Hg was positively associated with PC1 and negatively associated with PC3, while ΣPCBs was negatively associated with PC3, and two PFAS were associated with PC4. Exploration of PC loadings followed by pathway analyses suggested that miRNAs in PC1 (miR-200b-3p, miR-664a-3p, miR-6738-5p, miR-429, miR-1236-5p, miR-4464, and miR-30b-5p) may be related to Hg neurotoxicity, while remaining PCs require further research. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that groups of milk EV-miRNAs may better serve as environmental biomarkers than individual miRNAs. Future studies are needed to elucidate the role of milk EV-miRNAs in child health following prenatal exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Kupsco
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10023, United States.
| | - Jenny Jyoung Lee
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Diddier Prada
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10023, United States; Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, San Fernando 22, Colonia Seccion XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Damaskini Valvi
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States
| | - Lisa Hu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10023, United States
| | - Maria Skaalum Petersen
- Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; Center of Health Science, University of The Faroe Islands, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Pal Weihe
- Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; Center of Health Science, University of The Faroe Islands, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10023, United States
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6
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Diet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23372. [PMID: 34862385 PMCID: PMC8642428 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02657-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota may modulate the disposition and toxicity of environmental contaminants within a host but, conversely, contaminants may also impact gut bacteria. Such contaminant-gut microbial connections, which could lead to alteration of host health, remain poorly known and are rarely studied in free-ranging wildlife. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a long-lived, wide-ranging apex predator that feeds on a variety of high trophic position seal and cetacean species and, as such, is exposed to among the highest levels of biomagnifying contaminants of all Arctic species. Here, we investigate associations between mercury (THg; a key Arctic contaminant), diet, and the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota of polar bears inhabiting the southern Beaufort Sea, while accounting for host sex, age class and body condition. Bacterial diversity was negatively associated with seal consumption and mercury, a pattern seen for both Shannon and Inverse Simpson alpha diversity indices (adjusted R2 = 0.35, F1,18 = 8.00, P = 0.013 and adjusted R2 = 0.26, F1,18 = 6.04, P = 0.027, respectively). No association was found with sex, age class or body condition of polar bears. Bacteria known to either be involved in THg methylation or considered to be highly contaminant resistant, including Lactobacillales, Bacillales and Aeromonadales, were significantly more abundant in individuals that had higher THg concentrations. Conversely, individuals with higher THg concentrations showed a significantly lower abundance of Bacteroidales, a bacterial order that typically plays an important role in supporting host immune function by stimulating intraepithelial lymphocytes within the epithelial barrier. These associations between diet-acquired mercury and microbiota illustrate a potentially overlooked outcome of mercury accumulation in polar bears.
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7
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Ashrap P, Watkins DJ, Mukherjee B, Rosario-Pabón Z, Vélez-Vega CM, Alshawabkeh A, Cordero JF, Meeker JD. Performance of urine, blood, and integrated metal biomarkers in relation to birth outcomes in a mixture setting. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111435. [PMID: 34097892 PMCID: PMC8403638 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on the health effects of metal mixtures typically utilize biomarkers measured in a single biological medium, such as blood or urine. However, the ability to evaluate mixture effects are limited by the uncertainty whether a unified medium can fully capture exposure for each metal. Therefore, it is important to compare and assess metal mixtures measured in different media in epidemiology studies. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the mixture predictive performance of urine and blood metal biomarkers and integrated multi-media biomarkers in association with birth outcomes. METHODS In our analysis of 847 women from the Puerto Rico PROTECT Cohort, we measured 10 essential and non-essential metals in repeated and paired samples of urine and blood during pregnancy. For each metal, we integrated exposure estimates from paired urine and blood biomarkers into multi-media biomarkers (MMBs), using intraclass-correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted quantile sum (WQS) approaches. Using Ridge regressions, four separate Environmental risk scores (ERSs) for metals in urine, blood, MMBICC, and MMBWQS were computed as a weighted sum of the 10 metal concentrations. We then examined associations between urine, blood, and multi-media biomarker ERSs and birth outcomes using linear and logistic regressions, adjusting for maternal age, maternal education, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and second-hand smoke exposure. The performance of each ERS was evaluated with continuous and tertile estimates and 95% confidence intervals of the odds ratio of preterm birth using area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS Pb was the most important contributor of blood ERS as well as the two integrated multi-media biomarker ERSs. Individuals with high ERS (3rd tertile) showed increased odds of preterm birth compared to individuals with low ERS (1st tertile), with 2.8-fold (95% CI, 1.49 to 5.40) for urine (specific gravity corrected); 3.2- fold (95% CI, 1.68 to 6.25) for blood; 3.9-fold (95% CI, 1.72 to 8.66) for multi-media biomarkers composed using ICC; and 5.2-fold (95% CI, 2.34 to 11.42) for multi-media biomarkers composed using WQS. The four ERSs had comparable predictive performances (AUC ranging from 0.64 to 0.68) when urine is examined with specific gravity corrected concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Within a practical metal panel, measuring metals in either urine or blood may be an equally good approach to evaluate the metals as a mixture. Applications in practical study design require validation of these methods with other cohorts, larger panels of metals and within the context of other adverse health effects of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pahriya Ashrap
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Deborah J Watkins
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Bhramar Mukherjee
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Zaira Rosario-Pabón
- University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Public Health, UPR Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR, USA
| | - Carmen M Vélez-Vega
- University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Public Health, UPR Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR, USA
| | - Akram Alshawabkeh
- College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - José F Cordero
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States
| | - John D Meeker
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
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Carrasco P, Estarlich M, Iñiguez C, Ferrero A, Murcia M, Esplugues A, Vioque J, Marina LS, Zabaleta C, Iriarte G, Fernández-Somoano A, Tardon A, Vrijheid M, Sunyer J, Ballester F, Llop S. Pre and postnatal exposure to mercury and respiratory health in preschool children from the Spanish INMA Birth Cohort Study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 782:146654. [PMID: 33838378 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Effects of mercury on maturing immune system have been reported, however the association with respiratory and allergy problems during infancy remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between pre and postnatal mercury exposure and respiratory and allergy problems among preschool children and to examine the role of potential modifying factors. Study subjects were children participant in Spanish Childhood and Environment Project (INMA, 2003-2008). We measured total mercury levels in cord blood (n = 1868) and hair at 4 years of age (n = 1347). Respiratory outcomes (wheezing, severe wheezing, chestiness, persistent cough, eczema and otitis) were obtained by questionnaires administered to parents. Associations were investigated by logistic regression adjusted for socio-demographic and lifestyle-related variables in each cohort and subsequent meta-analysis. We tested effect modification by factors related to individual susceptibility, diet and co-exposure with other pollutants. The geometric mean of cord blood and hair total mercury was 8.20 μg/L and 0.97 μg/g, respectively. No statistically significant association between pre or postnatal mercury exposure and respiratory and allergy outcomes was found. Notwithstanding, lower maternal intake of fruits and vegetables increased the risk of some respiratory outcomes due to the prenatal exposure to mercury (pint < 0.05). Moreover, an inverse association between prenatal mercury exposure and some respiratory outcomes was observed among children with higher maternal exposure to organocholorine compounds or smoking (pint < 0.05). Also, sex and postnatal smoking exposure modulated mercury postnatal effects on persistent cough (pint < 0.05). In conclusion, no association between pre and postnatal mercury exposure and respiratory and allergy problems among the whole population at study was found. However, diet and other toxicants could modulate this relation, especially during prenatal period. More research on this topic is warranted due to the limited evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Carrasco
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Department of Medicine, Universitat Jaume I, Avenida de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, 12071 Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Marisa Estarlich
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Nursing School, Universitat de València, C/Jaume Roig s/n, 46010, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Carmen Iñiguez
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Department of Statistics and Computational Research. Universitat de València, València, Dr. Moliner, 50 46100, Spain
| | - Amparo Ferrero
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mario Murcia
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Servicio de Análisis de Sistemas de Información Sanitaria, Conselleria de Sanitat, Generalitat Valenciana. C/Micer Mascó, 31-33, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Esplugues
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Nursing School, Universitat de València, C/Jaume Roig s/n, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jesús Vioque
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Institute for Health and Biomedical Research (ISABIAL), Avda Pinto Baeza, 12, 03010 AlicanteAlicante, Spain
| | - Loreto Santa Marina
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Health Department of Basque Government, Sub-directorate of Public Health of Gipuzkoa, Avenida de Navarra 4, 20013 San Sebastián, Spain; Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Doctor Begiristain, s/n, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Carlos Zabaleta
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Group of Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development, Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Doctor Begiristain, s/n, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain; Nuestra señora de la Antigua Hospital, OSI Goierri-Alto Urola, OSAKIDETZA-Basque Health Service, Barrio Argixao, s/n, 20700 Zumarraga, Spain
| | - Gorka Iriarte
- Laboratorio de Salud Pública de Alava, Santiago 11, 01002 Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Ana Fernández-Somoano
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; IUOPA-Departamento de Medicina, University of Oviedo, Av. Julián Clavería, 6, 33006 Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Health Research of the Principality of Asturias - Foundation for Biosanitary Research of Asturias (ISPA-FINBA), Avenida Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Adonina Tardon
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; IUOPA-Departamento de Medicina, University of Oviedo, Av. Julián Clavería, 6, 33006 Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Health Research of the Principality of Asturias - Foundation for Biosanitary Research of Asturias (ISPA-FINBA), Avenida Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Plaça de la Mercè 10-12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Plaça de la Mercè 10-12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; Municipal Institute of Medical Research, IMIM-Hospital del Mar, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ferran Ballester
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Nursing School, Universitat de València, C/Jaume Roig s/n, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Sabrina Llop
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region, FISABIO-Public Health, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I-Universitat de València, Av. Catalunya 21, 46020 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Av. Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. Pabellón 11, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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9
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Nephrotoxic Metal Mixtures and Preadolescent Kidney Function. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8080673. [PMID: 34438564 PMCID: PMC8391795 DOI: 10.3390/children8080673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to metals including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), may impair kidney function as individual toxicants or in mixtures. However, no single medium is ideal to study multiple metals simultaneously. We hypothesized that multi-media biomarkers (MMBs), integrated indices combining information across biomarkers, are informative of adverse kidney function. Levels of Pb, Cd, and As were quantified in blood and urine in 4–6-year-old Mexican children (n = 300) in the PROGRESS longitudinal cohort study. We estimated the mixture effects of these metals, using weighted quantile sum regression (WQS) applied to urine biomarkers (Umix), blood biomarkers (Bmix), and MMBs, on the cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum cystatin C assessed at 8–10 years of age, adjusted for covariates. Quartile increases in Umix and the MMB mixture were associated with 2.5% (95%CI: 0.1, 5.0) and 3.0% (95%CI: 0.2, 5.7) increased eGFR and −2.6% (95% CI: −5.1%, −0.1%) and −3.3% (95% CI: −6.5%, −0.1%) decreased cystatin C, respectively. Weights indicate that the strongest contributors to the associations with eGFR and serum cystatin C were Cd and Pb, respectively. MMBs detected mixture effects distinct from associations with individual metals or media-type, highlighting the benefits of incorporating information from multiple exposure media in mixtures analyses.
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10
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Pontual MDM, Ayotte P, Little M, Furgal C, Boyd AD, Muckle G, Avard E, Ricard S, Gauthier MJ, Sidi EAL, Lemire M. Seasonal variations in exposure to methylmercury and its dietary sources among pregnant Inuit women in Nunavik, Canada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:143196. [PMID: 33183817 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Among populations living in close connection with the sea, rivers and lakes for subsistence, diet varies according to local monthly wildlife species availability and food preferences. This may lead to variations in methylmercury (MeHg) exposure over a year, although no biomonitoring studies have documented this issue in Circumpolar populations, the most exposed to international Hg emissions. Our aim was to characterize seasonal variations in MeHg exposure among pregnant Inuit women from Nunavik and to identify country foods responsible for these variations. Between October 2016 and March 2017, 97 participants were recruited. Blood mercury (Hg) was tested and hair Hg was measured by centimeter as a surrogate for monthly MeHg exposure over the past year. Latent class growth analysis was conducted to identify groups of pregnant women with similar hair Hg monthly trajectories. Country foods consumption was documented by season. Seasonal daily intakes of MeHg were estimated based on concentrations in country foods. Retrospective monthly hair Hg analyses revealed that MeHg exposure was lowest in winter, and highest in summer and early fall months. Three latent classes (groups) of pregnant women with similar trajectories of monthly hair Hg variations were identified: high (n = 20, 21%), moderate (n = 38, 41%) and low variation (n = 35, 38%). Beluga meat was the country food contributing to most of daily MeHg intake, primarily during summer and fall, and was the only one associated with the odds of being classified into moderate and high variation groups (OR 95% CI: 1.19 [1.01-1.39] and 1.25 [1.04-1.50]). These findings underscore the importance of monthly variations in exposure to MeHg due to the seasonality of local foods consumed and responsible for elevated MeHg exposure. Further studies critically need to understand local diet fluctuations over a year to adequately assess MeHg exposure, adopt timely preventive interventions and evaluate the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana de Moraes Pontual
- Chaire Littoral, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé: Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4L8, Canada.
| | - Pierre Ayotte
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval: Pavillon Ferdinand Vandry 1050, avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4L8, Canada; Centre de toxicologie, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, 945 avenue Wolfe, Québec, QC G1V 5B3, Canada.
| | - Matthew Little
- School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada; Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Chris Furgal
- Indigenous Environmental Studies & Sciences Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada.
| | - Amanda D Boyd
- The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States.
| | - Gina Muckle
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4L8, Canada; École de psychologie, Université Laval: Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, FAS-1222, 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Ellen Avard
- Nunavik Research Centre, Makivik Corporation, Kuujjuaq, QC, Canada.
| | - Sylvie Ricard
- Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, Kuujjuaq, QC, Canada.
| | | | - Elhadji Anassour-Laouan Sidi
- Bureau d'information et d'études en santé des populations, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, 945 avenue Wolfe, Québec, QC G1V 5B3, Canada.
| | - Mélanie Lemire
- Chaire Littoral, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé: Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4L8, Canada; Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval: Pavillon Ferdinand Vandry 1050, avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé Hôpital Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4L8, Canada.
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11
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Levin-Schwartz Y, Claus Henn B, Gennings C, Coull BA, Placidi D, Horton MK, Smith DR, Lucchini RG, Wright RO. Integrated measures of lead and manganese exposure improve estimation of their joint effects on cognition in Italian school-age children. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106312. [PMID: 33395951 PMCID: PMC7785864 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Every day humans are exposed to mixtures of chemicals, such as lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn). An underappreciated aspect of studying the health effects of mixtures is the role that the exposure biomarker media (blood, hair, etc.) may play in estimating the effects of the mixture. Different biomarker media represent different aspects of each chemical's toxicokinetics, thus no single medium can fully capture the toxicokinetic profile for all the chemicals in a mixture. A potential solution to this problem is to combine exposure data across different media to derive integrated estimates of each chemical's internal concentration. This concept, formalized as a multi-media biomarker (MMB) has proven effective for estimating the health impacts of Pb exposure, but may also be useful to estimate mixture effects, such as the joint effects of metals like Pb and Mn, while factoring in how the association changes based upon the biomarker media. Levels of Pb and Mn were quantified in five media: blood, hair, nails, urine, and saliva in the Public Health Impact of Metals Exposure (PHIME) project, a study of Italian adolescents aged 10-14 years. MMBs were derived for both metals using weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression across the five media. Age-adjusted Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) IQ scores, measured at the same time as the exposure measures, were the primary outcome and models were adjusted for sex and socioeconomic status. The levels Pb and Mn were relatively low, with median blood Pb of 1.27 (IQR: 0.84) μg/dL and median blood Mn of 1.09 (IQR: 0.45) μg/dL. Quartile increases in a Pb-Mn combination predicted decreased Full Scale IQ of 1.9 points (95% CI: 0.3, 3.5) when Pb and Mn exposure levels were estimated using MMBs, while individual regressions for each metal were not associated with Full Scale IQ. Additionally, a quartile increase in the WQS index of Pb and Mn, measured using MMBs, were associated with reductions in Verbal IQ by 2.8 points (1.0, 4.5). Weights that determine the contributions of the metals to the joint effect highlighted that the contribution of the Pb-Mn was 72-28% for Full Scale IQ and 42-58% for Verbal IQ. We found that the joint effects of Pb and Mn are strongly affected by the medium used to measure exposure and that the joint effects of the Pb and Mn MMBs on cognition were the stronger than any individual biomarker. Thus, increase power and accuracy for measuring mixture effects compared to individual biomarkers. As the number of chemicals in mixtures increases, appropriate biomarker selection will become increasingly important and MMBs are a natural way to reduce bias in such analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Levin-Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Birgit Claus Henn
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chris Gennings
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Donatella Placidi
- Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Megan K Horton
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Donald R Smith
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Roberto G Lucchini
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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12
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Levin-Schwartz Y, Gennings C, Claus Henn B, Coull BA, Placidi D, Lucchini R, Smith DR, Wright RO. Multi-media biomarkers: Integrating information to improve lead exposure assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 183:109148. [PMID: 32004829 PMCID: PMC7167344 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure assessment traditionally relies on biomarkers that measure chemical concentrations in individual biological media (i.e., blood, urine, etc.). However, chemicals distribute unevenly among different biological media; thus, each medium provides incomplete information about body burden. We propose that machine learning and statistical approaches can create integrated exposure estimates from multiple biomarker matrices that better represent the overall body burden, which we term multi-media biomarkers (MMBs). We measured lead (Pb) in blood, urine, hair and nails from 251 Italian adolescents aged 11-14 years from the Public Health Impact of Metals Exposure (PHIME) cohort. We derived aggregated MMBs from the four biomarkers and then tested their association with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) IQ scores. We used three approaches to derive the Pb MMB: one supervised learning technique, weighted quantile sum regression (WQS), and two unsupervised learning techniques, independent component analysis (ICA) and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Overall, the Pb MMB derived using WQS was most consistently associated with IQ scores and was the only method to be statistically significant for Verbal IQ, Performance IQ and Total IQ. A one standard deviation increase in the WQS MMB was associated with lower Verbal IQ (β [95% CI] = -2.2 points [-3.7, -0.6]), Performance IQ (-1.9 points [-3.5, -0.4]) and Total IQ (-2.1 points [-3.8, -0.5]). Blood Pb was negatively associated with only Verbal IQ, with a one standard deviation increase in blood Pb being associated with a -1.7 point (95% CI: [-3.3, -0.1]) decrease in Verbal IQ. Increases of one standard deviation in the ICA MMB were associated with lower Verbal IQ (-1.7 points [-3.3, -0.1]) and lower Total IQ (-1.7 points [-3.3, -0.1]). Similarly, an increase of one standard deviation in the NMF MMB was associated with lower Verbal IQ (-1.8 points [-3.4, -0.2]) and lower Total IQ (-1.8 points [-3.4, -0.2]). Weights highlighting the contributions of each medium to the MMB revealed that blood Pb was the largest contributor to most MMBs, although the weights varied from more than 80% for the ICA and NMF MMBs to between 30% and 54% for the WQS-derived MMBs. Our results suggest that MMBs better reflect the total body burden of a chemical that may be acting on target organs than individual biomarkers. Estimating MMBs improved our ability to estimate the full impact of Pb on IQ. Compared with individual Pb biomarkers, including blood, a Pb MMB derived using WQS was more strongly associated with IQ scores. MMBs may increase statistical power when the choice of exposure medium is unclear or when the sample size is small. Future work will need to validate these methods in other cohorts and for other chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Levin-Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Chris Gennings
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Birgit Claus Henn
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Roberto Lucchini
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Occupational Health, University of Brescia, Italy
| | - Donald R Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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13
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Llop S, Murcia M, Amorós R, Julvez J, Santa-Marina L, Soler-Blasco R, Rebagliato M, Iñiguez C, Aguinagalde X, Iriarte G, Lopez-Espinosa MJ, Andiarena A, Gonzalez L, Vioque J, Sunyer J, Ballester F. Postnatal exposure to mercury and neuropsychological development among preschooler children. Eur J Epidemiol 2020; 35:259-271. [DOI: 10.1007/s10654-020-00620-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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14
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Mercury Exposure, Fish Consumption, and Perceived Risk among Pregnant Women in Coastal Florida. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16244903. [PMID: 31817296 PMCID: PMC6949990 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16244903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Seafood consumption is the primary source of mercury (Hg) exposure, particularly among coastal populations. Hg exposure during pregnancy has been associated with cognitive impairment, as well as decrements in memory, attention, fine motor skills, and other markers of delayed neurodevelopment, although results are conflicting. High Hg hair concentrations in persons from coastal Florida, USA, have been previously reported. The purpose of the current study was to determine the concentrations of total Hg (THg) in the hair of pregnant women from this area and to assess the relationships between THg concentration, knowledge of the risks of mercury exposure, and dietary patterns among participants. Participants (n = 229) were recruited at prenatal clinics. Their mean total hair Hg concentration was 0.31 + 0.54 µg/g, lower or similar to US data for women of child-bearing age. Hair THg concentration was associated with consumption of locally caught fish and all seafood, a higher level of education, and first pregnancy. Eighty-five percent of women were aware of the risks of mercury exposure during pregnancy; over half reported a decrease in seafood consumption during pregnancy. Awareness of Hg in fish was marginally associated with lower hair THg concentration (p = 0.06) but reduction in seafood consumption during pregnancy was not.
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15
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Trdin A, Snoj Tratnik J, Mazej D, Fajon V, Krsnik M, Osredkar J, Prpić I, Špirić Z, Petrović O, Marc J, Neubauer D, Kodrič J, Kobal AB, Barbone F, Falnoga I, Horvat M. Mercury speciation in prenatal exposure in Slovenian and Croatian population - PHIME study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 177:108627. [PMID: 31421448 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, several studies have addressed the issue of prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg); however, few have actually analysed MeHg blood concentrations. Our study population included mothers and their new-borns from Slovenia (central region; N = 584) and Croatia (coastal region; N = 234). We have measurements of total Hg (THg) and MeHg in maternal hair, maternal peripheral blood, and cord blood. Cord blood Hg concentrations were low to moderate (median THg = 1.84 ng/g and MeHg = 1.69 ng/g). The proportion of THg as MeHg (%MeHg) in maternal and cord blood varied between 4% and 100% (coefficient of variation, CV = 32%) and between 8% and 100% (CV = 20%), respectively. Our data shows that variability of %MeHg was higher at lower blood THg levels. Concentrations of MeHg in maternal blood and cord blood were highly correlated (Rs = 0.943), in the case of inorganic Hg correlation was significant but weaker (Rs = 0.198). MeHg levels in maternal blood and cord blood were positively associated with seafood intake, maternal age, and negatively associated with pre-pregnancy BMI. Additionally, MeHg in maternal blood was positively associated with plasma selenium levels, and cord blood MeHg was negatively associated with parity. The results of multiple linear regression models showed that speciation analysis provides more defined estimation of prenatal exposure in association modelling. Associations between Hg exposure and cognitive performance of children (assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler development) adjusted for maternal or child Apolipoprotein E genotypes showed higher model R2 and lower p-values when adjusted for MeHg compared to THg. This study demonstrates that Hg speciation improves the association between exposure and possible negative health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajda Trdin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janja Snoj Tratnik
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Darja Mazej
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vesna Fajon
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mladen Krsnik
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Joško Osredkar
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Igor Prpić
- Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | | | - Oleg Petrović
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Centre Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Janja Marc
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - David Neubauer
- Department of Child, Adolescent, and Developmental Neurology, Division of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jana Kodrič
- Department of Child, Adolescent, and Developmental Neurology, Division of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alfred B Kobal
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Fabio Barbone
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
| | - Ingrid Falnoga
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Milena Horvat
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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16
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Subhavana KL, Qureshi A, Roy A. Mercury levels in human hair in South India: baseline, artisanal goldsmiths and coal-fired power plants. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2019; 29:697-705. [PMID: 30631141 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-018-0107-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
India is a major emitter of mercury to the environment, mainly due to emissions from coal-fired power plants. Consumption of fish and rice, two important pathways for human exposure to mercury, is particularly high in South India. Here, we report concentrations of total mercury in hair (THghair) in 668 participants from South India. Three cities were covered: (i) a city on the east coast with four active coal-fired thermal power plants (Nellore), (ii) a city on the west coast with no major mercury source (Vasco da Gama), and (iii) a metropolitan city in the interior with no major mercury source (Hyderabad). Geometric mean of THghair of the entire study population is 0.14 µg/g (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.13-0.15 µg/g). Significant predictor variables are age, fish consumption, and occupations such as dental studies, subsistence fishing, and artisanal goldsmithing (which is different from artisanal scale gold mining). Our results support the hypothesis that people living in a city with active coal-fired power plants may have higher THghair than those in cities with no major mercury source.
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Affiliation(s)
- K L Subhavana
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, Kandi, TS, 502285, India
| | - Asif Qureshi
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, Kandi, TS, 502285, India.
| | - Arpita Roy
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, Kandi, TS, 502285, India
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17
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Mise au point des dosages bio-métrologiques des solvants organiques dans l’industrie des chaussures à Sfax (Tunisie). TOXICOLOGIE ANALYTIQUE ET CLINIQUE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2019.03.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Ripley S, Robinson E, Johnson-Down L, Andermann A, Ayotte P, Lucas M, Nieboer E. Blood and hair mercury concentrations among Cree First Nations of Eeyou Istchee (Quebec, Canada): time trends, prenatal exposure and links to local fish consumption. Int J Circumpolar Health 2019; 77:1474706. [PMID: 29785879 PMCID: PMC5965033 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2018.1474706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
To describe exposure to methylmercury among Cree, focusing on women of childbearing age, we used data from 2 studies. Multiple regression was employed to examine associations between blood and hair mercury concentrations and consumption of locally harvested fish. Approximately 9.9% of non-pregnant women aged 15-44 y and 3.9% of pregnant women required follow-up according to Health Canada's blood mercury guidance value of 40 nmol/L. 8% of hair mercury observations in the non-pregnant women and 2.5% among pregnant women exceeded the equivalent threshold of 10 nmol/g. The geometric mean blood mercury concentration was 12.7 nmol/L in 1,429 persons aged 8 and over, and 17.7 nmol/L in adults aged 18 and older. The proportion of hair mercury concentrations greater than 12.5 nmol/g decreased in all age-sex groups when comparing the 2002-2009 data to published values for 1993-1994. Among women of childbearing age, local fish consumption was associated with increased blood and hair mercury concentrations. While over 90% of women of childbearing age in this population have acceptable levels of mercury, ongoing intake of mercury suggests that their consumption of fish with known high mercury content be minimised. Reducing consumption of fish known to be high in mercury content needs to be balanced with promoting ongoing connection to Cree culture and land-based activities that are also important determinants of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah Ripley
- a Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health , McGill University , Montréal , Québec , Canada
| | - Elizabeth Robinson
- a Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health , McGill University , Montréal , Québec , Canada.,b Public Health Department , Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay , Mistissini , Québec , Canada
| | - Louise Johnson-Down
- c School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition , McGill University, Sainte Anne de Bellevue , Québec , Canada
| | - Anne Andermann
- a Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health , McGill University , Montréal , Québec , Canada.,b Public Health Department , Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay , Mistissini , Québec , Canada.,d Department of Family Medicine , McGill University , Montréal , Québec , Canada
| | - Pierre Ayotte
- e Department of Social & Preventive Medicine , Laval University , Québec , QC , Canada.,f Axe Santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé , Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval , Québec , QC , Canada.,g Quebec Toxicology Centre , Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec , Québec , QC , Canada
| | - Michel Lucas
- e Department of Social & Preventive Medicine , Laval University , Québec , QC , Canada.,f Axe Santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé , Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval , Québec , QC , Canada
| | - Evert Nieboer
- h Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences , McMaster University , Hamilton , ON , Canada
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Abstract
We presented scientific findings concerning changes of the clinical and laboratory blood indicators and
the presence of mercury in hair of reproductive age women (from 18 to 44 years). With the accumulation
mercury level above 0,5 mg/kg in hair, we take a closer look at statistically significant (p ≤ 0,05) increase
in uric acid and creatine kinase in blood serum, as well as platelet count reduction in the peripheral
blood.
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Valvi D, Oulhote Y, Weihe P, Dalgård C, Bjerve KS, Steuerwald U, Grandjean P. Gestational diabetes and offspring birth size at elevated environmental pollutant exposures. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 107:205-215. [PMID: 28753482 PMCID: PMC5584560 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased availability of glucose and macronutrients in fetal circulation and macrosomia. Therefore, the role of GDM in the association between metabolism-disrupting chemicals and birth size deserves attention. OBJECTIVE We examined whether GDM may mediate or modify the associations between maternal environmental pollutant exposures and offspring birth size measures. METHODS We analyzed 604 Faroese pregnant women and their offsprings born in 1997-2000. Maternal pregnancy serum concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs: polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE)), and five perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and hair and cord blood mercury concentrations were measured. We used regression (single-pollutants) and structural equation models (SEMs) (multiple-pollutant analyses using latent constructs of OCs, PFASs and mercury) to estimate the associations with GDM and birth size measures, accounting for mediation and/or effect modification by GDM. RESULTS Serum-DDE and hair-mercury concentrations were associated with GDM (adjusted OR per concentration doubling: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.77 for DDE, and 0.79; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.99 for mercury), but in multiple pollutant-adjusted SEMs only a positive association between OC exposure and GDM remained significant (change in GDM odds per OC doubling: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.86). PCB and overall OC exposure were positively associated with head circumference (SEM; mean change per OC doubling: 0.13cm; 95% CI, 0.01. 0.25). Overall PFAS exposure was inversely associated with birth weight (SEM; mean change per PFAS doubling: -169g; 95% CI: -359, 21), and for many single-PFASs we found a pattern of inverse associations with birth weight and head circumference in boys, and positive or null associations in girls. None of the environmental pollutants was associated with offspring length. GDM neither modified nor mediated the associations with birth size measures. CONCLUSIONS We found associations with GDM and offspring birth size to be specific to the environmental pollutant or pollutant group. Associations with birth size measures appear to be independent of GDM occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damaskini Valvi
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Youssef Oulhote
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Pal Weihe
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Christine Dalgård
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kristian S Bjerve
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, St. Olays Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ulrike Steuerwald
- Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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21
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Eccles KM, Thomas PJ, Chan HM. Predictive meta-regressions relating mercury tissue concentrations of freshwater piscivorous mammals. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2017; 36:2377-2384. [PMID: 28224658 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a pollutant of global concern. Sentinel species such as river otter (Lontra canadensis) and mink (Neovison vison) are often used to monitor environmental concentrations in freshwater ecosystems. Tissue total Hg (THg) concentrations are frequently used as biomarkers of exposure. However, there is no comprehensive model relating Hg tissue concentrations in different tissues, making interstudy comparisons challenging. Our objective was to establish conversion factors relating fur, brain, liver, kidney, and muscle THg concentrations using mean concentrations and standard errors reported in the literature. We used data from more than 6000 samples, pooled across 16 studies and 96 sampling sites in North America and Europe. Sixteen regressions were derived for the river otter and mink models, which were statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval and yielded high explained variances. The models were validated using an external data set of individually measured THg tissue concentrations. The validated conversions were used to evaluate the current fur Hg screening guidelines of 20 µg/g and 30 µg/g. At both of these fur concentrations, brain concentrations are of concern for altering brain neurochemistry. We suggest a more conservative fur Hg screening guideline of 15 µg/g to protect sensitive furbearers. The conversion factors can be used to predict internal organ THg concentrations from fur measurements, eliminating the need for invasive tissue sampling. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2377-2384. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Eccles
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Philippe J Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Science and Technology Branch, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hing Man Chan
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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McKinney MA, Atwood TC, Pedro S, Peacock E. Ecological Change Drives a Decline in Mercury Concentrations in Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:7814-7822. [PMID: 28612610 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b00812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated total mercury (THg) concentrations and trends in polar bears from the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation from 2004 to 2011. Hair THg concentrations ranged widely among individuals from 0.6 to 13.3 μg g-1 dry weight (mean: 3.5 ± 0.2 μg g-1). Concentrations differed among sex and age classes: solitary adult females ≈ adult females with cubs ≈ subadults > adult males ≈ yearlings > cubs-of-the-year ≈ 2 year old dependent cubs. No variation was observed between spring and fall samples. For spring-sampled adults, THg concentrations declined by 13% per year, contrasting recent trends observed for other Western Hemispheric Arctic biota. Concentrations also declined by 15% per year considering adult males only, while a slower, nonsignificant decrease of 4.4% per year was found for adult females. Lower THg concentrations were associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and higher proportions of lower trophic position food resources consumed. Because BMI and diet were related, and the relationship to THg was strongest for BMI, trends were re-evaluated adjusting for BMI as the covariate. The adjusted annual decline was not significant. These findings indicate that changes in foraging ecology, not declining environmental concentrations of mercury, are driving short-term declines in THg concentrations in southern Beaufort Sea polar bears.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A McKinney
- Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Center, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut , Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
| | - Todd C Atwood
- United States Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center , Anchorage, Alaska 99508, United States
| | - Sara Pedro
- Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Center, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut , Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
| | - Elizabeth Peacock
- United States Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center , Anchorage, Alaska 99508, United States
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Ruggieri F, Majorani C, Domanico F, Alimonti A. Mercury in Children: Current State on Exposure through Human Biomonitoring Studies. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2017; 14:ijerph14050519. [PMID: 28498344 PMCID: PMC5451970 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14050519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) in children has multiple exposure sources and the toxicity of Hg compounds depends on exposure routes, dose, timing of exposure, and developmental stage (be it prenatal or postnatal). Over the last decades, Hg was widely recognized as a threat to the children’s health and there have been acknowledgements at the international level of the need of a global policy intervention—like the Minamata treaty—aimed at reducing or preventing Hg exposure and protecting the child health. National human biomonitoring (HBM) data has demonstrated that low levels of exposure of Hg are still an important health concern for children, which no one country can solve alone. Although independent HBM surveys have provided the basis for the achievements of exposure mitigation in specific contexts, a new paradigm for a coordinated global monitoring of children’s exposure, aimed at a reliable decision-making tool at global level is yet a great challenge for the next future. The objective of the present review is to describe current HBM studies on Hg exposure in children, taking into account the potential pathways of Hg exposure and the actual Hg exposure levels assessed by different biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Ruggieri
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Costanza Majorani
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesco Domanico
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Alimonti
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
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24
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Kirk LE, Jørgensen JS, Nielsen F, Grandjean P. Public health benefits of hair-mercury analysis and dietary advice in lowering methylmercury exposure in pregnant women. Scand J Public Health 2017; 45:444-451. [PMID: 28381203 DOI: 10.1177/1403494816689310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate whether a public health intervention using focused dietary advice combined with a hair-mercury analysis can lower neurotoxic methylmercury exposure among pregnant women without decreasing their overall intake of seafood. METHODS A total of 146 pregnant women were consecutively recruited from the antenatal clinic at a Danish university hospital at their initial ultrasound scan. Dietary advice was provided on avoiding methylmercury exposure from large predatory fish and a hair sample from each participant was analysed for mercury, with the results being communicated shortly thereafter to the women. A dietary questionnaire was filled in. Follow-up three months later included a dietary questionnaire and a repeat hair-mercury analysis. RESULTS In the follow-up group, 22% of the women had hair-mercury concentrations above a safe limit of 0.58 µg/g at enrolment, decreasing to 8% three months later. Average hair-mercury concentrations decreased by 21%. However, the total seafood intake remained at the same level after three months. CONCLUSIONS Increased exposure to methylmercury among pregnant women is an important public health concern in Denmark. The observed lowering of hair-mercury concentrations associated with dietary advice corresponds to a substantial public health benefit that probably makes such an intervention highly profitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line E Kirk
- 1 Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.,2 Odense Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Jan S Jørgensen
- 3 Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Odense University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Flemming Nielsen
- 1 Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | - Philippe Grandjean
- 1 Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.,4 Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, USA
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25
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Oulhote Y, Debes F, Vestergaard S, Weihe P, Grandjean P. Aerobic Fitness and Neurocognitive Function Scores in Young Faroese Adults and Potential Modification by Prenatal Methylmercury Exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2017; 125:677-683. [PMID: 27611346 PMCID: PMC5381980 DOI: 10.1289/ehp274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to methylmercury was shown to decrease neural stem cell populations, whereas aerobic fitness has beneficial effects on the adult brain that relies on improved neurogenesis in the hippocampus. OBJECTIVES We examined the association between aerobic fitness and neurocognitive outcomes at young adult age, along with the potential moderating effect of prenatal exposure to methylmercury. METHODS At age 22 years, 262 members of a Faroese birth cohort, established in 1986-1987, underwent a graded exercise test of aerobic fitness to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO2Max). Their prenatal methylmercury exposure had been assessed from the mercury concentration in cord blood. We estimated cross-sectional associations between VO2Max and multiple measures of neurocognitive function. In addition, we compared groups with low and high prenatal methylmercury exposure. RESULTS A 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in VO2Max was associated with better scores on short-term memory and cognitive processing speed by 0.21 SD (95% CI: -0.04, 0.46) and 0.28 SD (95% CI: 0.02, 0.54), respectively. In the group with lower prenatal methylmercury exposure, a 1 SD increase in VO2Max was associated with increased scores on cognitive processing speed by 0.45 SD (95% CI: 0.08, 0.81) and with a slightly lesser benefit in short-term memory. No such association was observed in the group with high prenatal methylmercury exposure. CONCLUSIONS Higher aerobic capacity was associated with better performance in short-term memory and processing speed. However, prenatal methylmercury exposure seemed to attenuate these positive associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youssef Oulhote
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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26
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Calder RSD, Schartup AT, Li M, Valberg AP, Balcom PH, Sunderland EM. Future Impacts of Hydroelectric Power Development on Methylmercury Exposures of Canadian Indigenous Communities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:13115-13122. [PMID: 27934282 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b04447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Developing Canadian hydroelectric resources is a key component of North American plans for meeting future energy demands. Microbial production of the bioaccumulative neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) is stimulated in newly flooded soils by degradation of labile organic carbon and associated changes in geochemical conditions. We find all 22 Canadian hydroelectric facilities being considered for near-term development are located within 100 km of indigenous communities. For a facility in Labrador, Canada (Muskrat Falls) with planned completion in 2017, we probabilistically modeled peak MeHg enrichment relative to measured baseline conditions in the river to be impounded, downstream estuary, locally harvested fish, birds and seals, and three Inuit communities. Results show a projected 10-fold increase in riverine MeHg levels and a 2.6-fold increase in estuarine surface waters. MeHg concentrations in locally caught species increase 1.3 to 10-fold depending on time spent foraging in different environments. Mean Inuit MeHg exposure is forecasted to double following flooding and over half of the women of childbearing age and young children in the most northern community are projected to exceed the U.S. EPA's reference dose. Equal or greater aqueous MeHg concentrations relative to Muskrat Falls are forecasted for 11 sites across Canada, suggesting the need for mitigation measures prior to flooding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S D Calder
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Cambridge Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Amina T Schartup
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Cambridge Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Miling Li
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Cambridge Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Amelia P Valberg
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Prentiss H Balcom
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Cambridge Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Cambridge Massachusetts 02138, United States
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Trasande L, DiGangi J, Evers DC, Petrlik J, Buck DG, Šamánek J, Beeler B, Turnquist MA, Regan K. Economic implications of mercury exposure in the context of the global mercury treaty: Hair mercury levels and estimated lost economic productivity in selected developing countries. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2016; 183:229-235. [PMID: 27594689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.08.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Several developing countries have limited or no information about exposures near anthropogenic mercury sources and no studies have quantified costs of mercury pollution or economic benefits to mercury pollution prevention in these countries. In this study, we present data on mercury concentrations in human hair from subpopulations in developing countries most likely to benefit from the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. These data are then used to estimate economic costs of mercury exposure in these communities. Hair samples were collected from sites located in 15 countries. We used a linear dose-response relationship that previously identified a 0.18 IQ point decrement per part per million (ppm) increase in hair mercury, and modeled a base case scenario assuming a reference level of 1 ppm, and a second scenario assuming no reference level. We then estimated the corresponding increases in intellectual disability and lost Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY). A total of 236 participants provided hair samples for analysis, with an estimated population at risk of mercury exposure near the 15 sites of 11,302,582. Average mercury levels were in the range of 0.48 ppm-4.60 ppm, and 61% of all participants had hair mercury concentrations greater than 1 ppm, the level that approximately corresponds to the USA EPA reference dose. An additional 1310 cases of intellectual disability attributable to mercury exposure were identified annually (4110 assuming no reference level), resulting in 16,501 lost DALYs (51,809 assuming no reference level). A total of $77.4 million in lost economic productivity was estimated assuming a 1 ppm reference level and $130 million if no reference level was used. We conclude that significant mercury exposures occur in developing and transition country communities near sources named in the Minamata Convention, and our estimates suggest that a large economic burden could be avoided by timely implementation of measures to prevent mercury exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Department of Population Health, University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA; NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY, 10012, USA; NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, Department of Nutrition, Food & Public Health, New York, NY, 10013, USA.
| | | | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - Jindrich Petrlik
- Arnika Association, Chlumova 17, Prague 3, 130 00, Czech Republic.
| | - David G Buck
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - Jan Šamánek
- Arnika Association, Chlumova 17, Prague 3, 130 00, Czech Republic.
| | - Bjorn Beeler
- IPEN, Första Långgatan 18, 413 28, Göteborg, Sweden.
| | | | - Kevin Regan
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
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Llop S, Ballester F, Murcia M, Forns J, Tardon A, Andiarena A, Vioque J, Ibarluzea J, Fernández-Somoano A, Sunyer J, Julvez J, Rebagliato M, Lopez-Espinosa MJ. Prenatal exposure to mercury and neuropsychological development in young children: the role of fish consumption. Int J Epidemiol 2016; 46:827-838. [DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyw259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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Pirkle CM, Muckle G, Lemire M. Managing mercury exposure in northern Canadian communities. CMAJ 2016; 188:1015-1023. [PMID: 27435478 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.151138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine McLean Pirkle
- Office of Public Health Studies (Pirkle), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu; École de psychologie (Muckle), Université Laval, Laval, Que.; Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé (Lemire, Muckle), Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Que.
| | - Gina Muckle
- Office of Public Health Studies (Pirkle), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu; École de psychologie (Muckle), Université Laval, Laval, Que.; Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé (Lemire, Muckle), Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Que
| | - Melanie Lemire
- Office of Public Health Studies (Pirkle), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu; École de psychologie (Muckle), Université Laval, Laval, Que.; Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé (Lemire, Muckle), Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec, Que
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30
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Bellinger DC, O'Leary K, Rainis H, Gibb HJ. Country-specific estimates of the incidence of intellectual disability associated with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2016; 147:159-163. [PMID: 26874048 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes country-specific estimates of the incidence of intellectual disability in children associated with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. A systematic review was undertaken to identify country-specific data on hair mercury concentrations in women of reproductive age. A variety of approaches were used to estimate biomarker concentrations for countries lacking such data. A dose-effect relationship derived on the basis of the data from three large prospective studies relating prenatal methylmercury exposure to IQ in children was used to estimate the country-specific incidences of mild, moderate, severe, and profound intellectual disability in children as a result of prenatal methylmercury exposure. The incidence of methylmercury-associated mild intellectual disability (IQ scores 50-70) varied nearly 40-fold across countries, with the greatest incidences generally in countries that are islands or that are coastal. Countries with high birth rates and greater consumption of foods that contribute most to methylmercury intake in humans (seafood, rice) can be expected to make the largest contributions to the worldwide burden of disease associated with methylmercury. The assumptions and limitations of the estimates are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Bellinger
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, United States; Boston Children's Hospital, United States.
| | - Keri O'Leary
- Gibb Epidemiology Consulting LLC, United States; George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, United States
| | - Holly Rainis
- George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, United States
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31
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Vieira HC, Morgado F, Soares AMVM, Abreu SN. Fish consumption recommendations to conform to current advice in regard to mercury intake. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:9595-9602. [PMID: 25948385 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4635-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews fish consumption data, mercury tolerable intake values, and mercury (Hg) content in fish, based on several reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization and European Union. The study assumptions are valid based on the current established USEPA reference dose (RfD). Combining the number of meals (per week), amount of fish ingested (by meal), and levels of MeHg in fish, this study calculates and presents isocurves indicating the maximum number of fishmeal per week without exceeding the USEPA RfD for methylmercury (MeHg). RfD are assumed to be the "exposure dose that is likely to be without deleterious effect even if continued exposure occurs over a lifetime." The study points out that even considering a single 50-g fish meal per week, the USEPA RfD would be exceeded, triggered by values above 0.84 μg g(-1) of MeHg in fish, and this despite being allowed levels up to 1.0 μg g(-1) of MeHg in fish consumption!-Have we a health risk? Fish consumption is expected to be relatively stable, while anthropogenic mercury emissions are expected to stabilize or even to increase beyond current values. How many meals of fish per week can we have, combining the number of fish meals per week, amount of fish ingested by meal, and levels of MeHg in fish?
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Affiliation(s)
- H C Vieira
- Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal,
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Maternal caffeine consumption and small for gestational age births: results from a population-based case-control study. Matern Child Health J 2015; 18:1540-51. [PMID: 24288144 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-013-1397-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Caffeine is consumed in various forms during pregnancy, has increased half-life during pregnancy and crosses the placental barrier. Small for gestational age (SGA) is an important perinatal outcome and has been associated with long term complications. We examined the association between maternal caffeine intake and SGA using National Birth Defects Prevention Study data. Non-malformed live born infants with an estimated date of delivery from 1997-2007 (n = 7,943) were included in this analysis. Maternal caffeine exposure was examined as total caffeine intake and individual caffeinated beverage type (coffee, tea, and soda); sex-, race/ethnic-, and parity-specific growth curves were constructed to estimate SGA births. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Interaction with caffeine exposures was assessed for maternal smoking, vasoconstrictor medication use, and folic acid. Six hundred forty-eight infants (8.2%) were found to be SGA in this analysis. Increasing aORs were observed for increasing intakes of total caffeine and for each caffeinated beverage with aORs (adjusting for maternal education, high blood pressure, and smoking) ranging from 1.3 to 2.1 for the highest intake categories (300+ mg/day total caffeine and 3+ servings/day for each beverage type). Little indication of additive interaction by maternal smoking, vasoconstrictor medication use, or folic acid intake was observed. We observed an increase in SGA births for mothers with higher caffeine intake, particularly for those consuming 300+ mg of caffeine per day. Increased aORs were also observed for tea intake but were more attenuated for coffee and soda intake.
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Kim BM, Choi AL, Ha EH, Pedersen L, Nielsen F, Weihe P, Hong YC, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Grandjean P. Effect of hemoglobin adjustment on the precision of mercury concentrations in maternal and cord blood. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 132:407-12. [PMID: 24853977 PMCID: PMC4103659 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 04/22/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The cord-blood mercury concentration is usually considered the best biomarker in regard to developmental methylmercury neurotoxicity. However, the mercury concentration may be affected by the binding of methylmercury to hemoglobin and perhaps also selenium. As cord-blood mercury analyses appear to be less precise than suggested by laboratory quality data, we studied the interrelationships of mercury concentrations with hemoglobin in paired maternal and cord blood samples from a Faroese birth cohort (N=514) and the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health study in Korea (n=797). Linear regression and structural equation model (SEM) analyses were used to ascertain interrelationships between the exposure biomarkers and the possible impact of hemoglobin as well as selenium. Both methods showed a significant dependence of the cord-blood concentration on hemoglobin, also after adjustment for other exposure biomarkers. In the SEM, the cord blood measurement was a less imprecise indicator of the latent methylmercury exposure variable than other exposure biomarkers available, and the maternal hair concentration had the largest imprecision. Adjustment of mercury concentrations both in maternal and cord blood for hemoglobin improved their precision, while no significant effect of the selenium concentration in maternal blood was found. Adjustment of blood-mercury concentrations for hemoglobin is therefore recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byung-Mi Kim
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Medical Research Center, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Anna L Choi
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eun-Hee Ha
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Medical Research Center, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Lise Pedersen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry & Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Flemming Nielsen
- Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Pal Weihe
- Faroese Hospital System, Torshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Yun-Chul Hong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | | | - Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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Hair mercury concentrations and fish consumption patterns in Florida residents. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2014; 11:6709-26. [PMID: 24972033 PMCID: PMC4113839 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph110706709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Mercury exposure through the consumption of fish and shellfish represents a significant public health concern in the United States. Recent research has demonstrated higher seafood consumption and subsequent increased risk of methylmercury exposure among subpopulations living in coastal areas. The identification of high concentrations of total mercury in blood and skin among resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), a coastal estuary in Florida, alerted us to a potential public health hazard in the contiguous human population. Therefore, we analyzed hair mercury concentrations of residents living along the IRL and ascertained their sources and patterns of seafood consumption. The total mean mercury concentration for 135 residents was 1.53 ± 1.89 µg/g. The concentration of hair mercury among males (2.02 ± 2.38 µg/g) was significantly higher than that for females (0.96 ± 0.74 µg/g) (p < 0.01). Log transformed hair mercury concentration was significantly associated with the frequency of total seafood consumption (p < 0.01). Individuals who reported consuming seafood once a day or more were 3.71 (95% CI 0.84–16.38) times more likely to have a total hair mercury concentration over 1.0 µg/g, which corresponds approximately to the U.S. EPA reference dose, compared to those who consumed seafood once a week or less. Hair mercury concentration was also significantly higher among individuals who obtained all or most of their seafood from local recreational sources (p < 0.01). The elevated human mercury concentrations mirror the elevated concentrations observed in resident dolphins in the same geographical region. The current study is one of the first to apply the concept of a sentinel animal to a contiguous human population.
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Rafati-Rahimzadeh M, Rafati-Rahimzadeh M, Kazemi S, Moghadamnia AA. Current approaches of the management of mercury poisoning: need of the hour. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 22:46. [PMID: 24888360 PMCID: PMC4055906 DOI: 10.1186/2008-2231-22-46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Mercury poisoning cases have been reported in many parts of the world, resulting in many deaths every year. Mercury compounds are classified in different chemical types such as elemental, inorganic and organic forms. Long term exposure to mercury compounds from different sources e.g. water, food, soil and air lead to toxic effects on cardiovascular, pulmonary, urinary, gastrointestinal, neurological systems and skin. Mercury level can be measured in plasma, urine, feces and hair samples. Urinary concentration is a good indicator of poisoning of elemental and inorganic mercury, but organic mercury (e.g. methyl mercury) can be detected easily in feces. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a rapid, cheap and sensitive method for detection of thymine bound mercuric ions. Silver nanoparticles are used as a sensitive detector of low concentration Hg2+ ions in homogeneous aqueous solutions. Besides supportive therapy, British anti lewisite, dimercaprol (BAL), 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA. succimer) and dimercaptopropanesulfoxid acid (DMPS) are currently used as chelating agents in mercury poisoning. Natural biologic scavengers such as algae, azolla and other aquatic plants possess the ability to uptake mercury traces from the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ali Akbar Moghadamnia
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
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Višnjevec AM, Kocman D, Horvat M. Human mercury exposure and effects in Europe. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2014; 33:1259-70. [PMID: 24375779 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 07/16/2013] [Accepted: 10/31/2013] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The effects of human exposure to mercury (Hg) and its compounds in Europe have been the focus of numerous studies that differed in their design, including recruiting different population groups at different levels of exposure and using different protocols and recruitment strategies. The objective of the present study was to review current studies of Hg exposure in Europe, taking into account the potential routes of Hg exposure, actual Hg exposure levels assessed by different biomarkers, and the effects of Hg to Europeans. All published studies from 2000 onward were reviewed, and exposure and effects studies were compared with known Hg levels in environmental compartments by mapping the various population groups studied and taking into account known sources of Hg. A study of the spatial distribution trends confirmed that the highest exposure levels to Hg, mostly as methylmercury (MeHg), are found in coastal populations, which consume more fish than inland populations. Fewer studies addressed exposure to elemental Hg through inhalation of Hg in air and inorganic Hg in food, particularly in highly contaminated areas. Overall, at the currently low exposure levels of Hg prevalently found in Europe, further studies are needed to confirm the risk to European populations, taking into consideration exposure to various Hg compounds and mixtures of stressors with similar end-points, nutritional status, and a detailed understanding of Hg in fish present in European markets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Miklavčič Višnjevec
- Department of Environmental Sciences, "Jožef Stefan" Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia; International postgraduate School Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Choi AL, Mogensen UB, Bjerve KS, Debes F, Weihe P, Grandjean P, Budtz-Jørgensen E. Negative confounding by essential fatty acids in methylmercury neurotoxicity associations. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 42:85-92. [PMID: 24561639 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 02/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methylmercury, a worldwide contaminant of fish and seafood, can cause adverse effects on the developing nervous system. However, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in seafood provide beneficial effects on brain development. Negative confounding will likely result in underestimation of both mercury toxicity and nutrient benefits unless mutual adjustment is included in the analysis. METHODS We examined these associations in 176 Faroese children, in whom prenatal methylmercury exposure was assessed from mercury concentrations in cord blood and maternal hair. The relative concentrations of fatty acids were determined in cord serum phospholipids. Neuropsychological performance in verbal, motor, attention, spatial, and memory functions was assessed at 7 years of age. Multiple regression and structural equation models (SEMs) were carried out to determine the confounder-adjusted associations with methylmercury exposure. RESULTS A short delay recall (in percent change) in the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was associated with a doubling of cord blood methylmercury (-18.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-36.3, -1.51). The association became stronger after the inclusion of fatty acid concentrations in the analysis (-22.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-39.4, -4.62). In structural equation models, poorer memory function (corresponding to a lower score in the learning trials and short delay recall in CVLT) was associated with a doubling of prenatal exposure to methylmercury after the inclusion of fatty acid concentrations in the analysis (-1.94, 95% CI=-3.39, -0.49). CONCLUSIONS Associations between prenatal exposure to methylmercury and neurobehavioral deficits in memory function at school age were strengthened after fatty acid adjustment, thus suggesting that n-3 fatty acids need to be included in analysis of similar studies to avoid underestimation of the associations with methylmercury exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Choi
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Ulla B Mogensen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian S Bjerve
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, N-7021 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Frodi Debes
- Faroese Hospital System, Torshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Pal Weihe
- Faroese Hospital System, Torshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Papadopoulou E, Caspersen IH, Kvalem HE, Knutsen HK, Duarte-Salles T, Alexander J, Meltzer HM, Kogevinas M, Brantsæter AL, Haugen M. Maternal dietary intake of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls and birth size in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2013; 60:209-216. [PMID: 24071022 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2013] [Revised: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Maternal diet not only provides essential nutrients to the developing fetus but is also a source of prenatal exposure to environmental contaminants. We investigated the association between dietary intake of dioxins and PCBs during pregnancy and birth size. The study included 50,651 women from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Dietary information was collected by FFQs and intake estimates were calculated by combining food consumption and food concentration of dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs. We used multivariable regression models to estimate the association between dietary intake of dioxins and PCBs and fetal growth. The contribution of fish and seafood intake during pregnancy was 41% for dietary dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs and 49% for dietary non-dioxin-like PCBs. Further stratified analysis by quartiles of seafood intake during pregnancy was conducted. We found an inverse dose-response association between dietary intake of dioxins and PCBs and fetal growth after adjustment for confounders. Newborns of mothers in the upper quartile of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs intake had 62g lower birth weight (95% CI: -73, -50), 0.26cm shorter birth length (95% CI: -0.31, -0.20) and 0.10cm shorter head circumference (95% CI: -0.14, -0.06) than newborns of mothers in the lowest quartile of intake. Similar negative associations for intake of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs were found after excluding women with intakes above the tolerable weekly intake (TWI=14pg TEQ/kg bw/week). The negative association of dietary dioxins and PCBs with fetal growth was weaker as seafood intake was increasing. No association was found between dietary dioxin and PCB intake and the risk for small-for-gestational age neonate. In conclusion, dietary intakes of dioxins and PCBs during pregnancy were negatively associated with fetal growth, even at intakes below the TWI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Papadopoulou
- Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; Division of Environmental Medicine, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.
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Baja ES, Schwartz JD, Coull BA, Wellenius GA, Vokonas PS, Suh HH. Structural equation modeling of the inflammatory response to traffic air pollution. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2013; 23:268-274. [PMID: 23232970 PMCID: PMC4648554 DOI: 10.1038/jes.2012.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Revised: 08/25/2012] [Accepted: 08/26/2012] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Several epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results on the effect of traffic-related pollutants on markers of inflammation. In a Bayesian framework, we examined the effect of traffic pollution on inflammation using structural equation models (SEMs). We studied measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) for 749 elderly men from the Normative Aging Study. Using repeated measures SEMs, we fit a latent variable for traffic pollution that is reflected by levels of black carbon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide to estimate its effect on a latent variable for inflammation that included sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and CRP. Exposure periods were assessed using 1-, 2-, 3-, 7-, 14- and 30-day moving averages previsit. We compared our findings using SEMs with those obtained using linear mixed models. Traffic pollution was related to increased inflammation for 3-, 7-, 14- and 30-day exposure periods. An inter-quartile range increase in traffic pollution was associated with a 2.3% (95% posterior interval (PI): 0.0-4.7%) increase in inflammation for the 3-day moving average, with the most significant association observed for the 30-day moving average (23.9%; 95% PI: 13.9-36.7%). Traffic pollution adversely impacts inflammation in the elderly. SEMs in a Bayesian framework can comprehensively incorporate multiple pollutants and health outcomes simultaneously in air pollution-cardiovascular epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel S Baja
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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Dietz R, Sonne C, Basu N, Braune B, O'Hara T, Letcher RJ, Scheuhammer T, Andersen M, Andreasen C, Andriashek D, Asmund G, Aubail A, Baagøe H, Born EW, Chan HM, Derocher AE, Grandjean P, Knott K, Kirkegaard M, Krey A, Lunn N, Messier F, Obbard M, Olsen MT, Ostertag S, Peacock E, Renzoni A, Rigét FF, Skaare JU, Stern G, Stirling I, Taylor M, Wiig Ø, Wilson S, Aars J. What are the toxicological effects of mercury in Arctic biota? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2013; 443:775-90. [PMID: 23231888 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.11.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Revised: 11/07/2012] [Accepted: 11/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
This review critically evaluates the available mercury (Hg) data in Arctic marine biota and the Inuit population against toxicity threshold values. In particular marine top predators exhibit concentrations of mercury in their tissues and organs that are believed to exceed thresholds for biological effects. Species whose concentrations exceed threshold values include the polar bears (Ursus maritimus), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), pilot whale (Globicephala melas), hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), a few seabird species, and landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Toothed whales appear to be one of the most vulnerable groups, with high concentrations of mercury recorded in brain tissue with associated signs of neurochemical effects. Evidence of increasing concentrations in mercury in some biota in Arctic Canada and Greenland is therefore a concern with respect to ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rune Dietz
- Aarhus University, Department for Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, P.O. Box 358, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark.
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Bellanger M, Pichery C, Aerts D, Berglund M, Castaño A, Čejchanová M, Crettaz P, Davidson F, Esteban M, Fischer ME, Gurzau AE, Halzlova K, Katsonouri A, Knudsen LE, Kolossa-Gehring M, Koppen G, Ligocka D, Miklavčič A, Reis MF, Rudnai P, Tratnik JS, Weihe P, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Grandjean P. Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure control in Europe: monetary value of neurotoxicity prevention. Environ Health 2013; 12:3. [PMID: 23289875 PMCID: PMC3599906 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-12-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to global mercury pollution and the adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), an assessment of the economic benefits of prevented developmental neurotoxicity is necessary for any cost-benefit analysis. METHODS Distributions of hair-Hg concentrations among women of reproductive age were obtained from the DEMOCOPHES project (1,875 subjects in 17 countries) and literature data (6,820 subjects from 8 countries). The exposures were assumed to comply with log-normal distributions. Neurotoxicity effects were estimated from a linear dose-response function with a slope of 0.465 Intelligence Quotient (IQ) point reduction per μg/g increase in the maternal hair-Hg concentration during pregnancy, assuming no deficits below a hair-Hg limit of 0.58 μg/g thought to be safe. A logarithmic IQ response was used in sensitivity analyses. The estimated IQ benefit cost was based on lifetime income, adjusted for purchasing power parity. RESULTS The hair-mercury concentrations were the highest in Southern Europe and lowest in Eastern Europe. The results suggest that, within the EU, more than 1.8 million children are born every year with MeHg exposures above the limit of 0.58 μg/g, and about 200,000 births exceed a higher limit of 2.5 μg/g proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The total annual benefits of exposure prevention within the EU were estimated at more than 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total economic benefit between €8,000 million and €9,000 million per year. About four-fold higher values were obtained when using the logarithmic response function, while adjustment for productivity resulted in slightly lower total benefits. These calculations do not include the less tangible advantages of protecting brain development against neurotoxicity or any other adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS These estimates document that efforts to combat mercury pollution and to reduce MeHg exposures will have very substantial economic benefits in Europe, mainly in southern countries. Some data may not be entirely representative, some countries were not covered, and anticipated changes in mercury pollution all suggest a need for extended biomonitoring of human MeHg exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dominique Aerts
- FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marta Esteban
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Katarina Halzlova
- Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | - Lisbeth E Knudsen
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Gudrun Koppen
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Peter Rudnai
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Pál Weihe
- Faroese Hospital System, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | | | - Philippe Grandjean
- Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Grandjean P. Calculation of mercury's effects on neurodevelopment. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2012; 120:A452; author reply A452. [PMID: 23211440 PMCID: PMC3548290 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
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Hassauer M, Kaiser E, Schneider K, Schuhmacher‐Wolz U. Collate the literature on toxicity data on mercury in experimental animals and humans (Part I – Data on organic mercury). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.2903/sp.efsa.2012.en-297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Hassauer
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
| | - Eva Kaiser
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
| | - Klaus Schneider
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
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Pichery C, Bellanger M, Zmirou-Navier D, Fréry N, Cordier S, Roue-LeGall A, Hartemann P, Grandjean P. Economic evaluation of health consequences of prenatal methylmercury exposure in France. Environ Health 2012; 11:53. [PMID: 22883022 PMCID: PMC3533723 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-11-53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence of a dose-response relationship between prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) and neurodevelopmental consequences in terms of IQ reduction, makes it possible to evaluate the economic consequences of MeHg exposures. OBJECTIVE To perform an economic evaluation of annual national benefits of reduction of the prenatal MeHg exposure in France. METHODS We used data on hair-Hg concentrations in French women of childbearing age (18-45 years) from a national sample of 126 women and from two studies conducted in coastal regions (n = 161and n = 503). A linear dose response function with a slope of 0.465 IQ point reduction per μg/g increase in hair-Hg concentration was used, along with a log transformation of the exposure scale, where a doubling of exposure was associated with a loss of 1.5 IQ points. The costs calculations utilized an updated estimate of €2008 17,363 per IQ point decrement, with three hypothetical exposure cut-off points (hair-Hg of 0.58, 1.0, and 2.5 μg/g). RESULTS Because of higher exposure levels of women in coastal communities, the annual economic impacts based on these data were greater than those using the national data, i.e., € 1.62 billion (national), and € 3.02 billion and € 2.51 billion (regional), respectively, with the linear model, and € 5.46 billion (national), and € 9.13 billion and € 8.17 billion (regional), with the log model, for exposures above 0.58 μg/g. CONCLUSIONS These results emphasize that efforts to reduce MeHg exposures would have high social benefits by preventing the serious and lifelong consequences of neurodevelopmental deficits in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Pichery
- EHESP School of Public Health, Rennes Cedex 35043, France
| | | | - Denis Zmirou-Navier
- EHESP School of Public Health, Rennes Cedex 35043, France
- Lorraine University Medical School, Public Health department, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy cedex, France
- INSERM U 1085-IRSET (Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement Travail), Rennes 1 University, Rennes cedex 35042, France
| | - Nadine Fréry
- Institut de veille sanitaire, Département Santé Environnement, Saint Maurice cedex 94415, France
| | - Sylvaine Cordier
- INSERM U 1085-IRSET (Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement Travail), Rennes 1 University, Rennes cedex 35042, France
| | | | - Philippe Hartemann
- Lorraine University Medical School, Public Health department, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy cedex, France
- INSERM U 954 "Nutrition, genetics and environmental risks”, Medical School, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy cedex 54505, France
| | - Philippe Grandjean
- Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark,Odense DK-5000, Denmark
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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45
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Karagas MR, Choi AL, Oken E, Horvat M, Schoeny R, Kamai E, Cowell W, Grandjean P, Korrick S. Evidence on the human health effects of low-level methylmercury exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2012; 120:799-806. [PMID: 22275730 PMCID: PMC3385440 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1104494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 449] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methylmercury (MeHg) is a known neuro-toxicant. Emerging evidence indicates it may have adverse effects on the neuro-logic and other body systems at common low levels of exposure. Impacts of MeHg exposure could vary by individual susceptibility or be confounded by beneficial nutrients in fish containing MeHg. Despite its global relevance, synthesis of the available literature on low-level MeHg exposure has been limited. OBJECTIVES We undertook a synthesis of the current knowledge on the human health effects of low-level MeHg exposure to provide a basis for future research efforts, risk assessment, and exposure remediation policies worldwide. DATA SOURCES AND EXTRACTION We reviewed the published literature for original human epidemiologic research articles that reported a direct biomarker of mercury exposure. To focus on high-quality studies and those specifically on low mercury exposure, we excluded case series, as well as studies of populations with unusually high fish consumption (e.g., the Seychelles), marine mammal consumption (e.g., the Faroe Islands, circumpolar, and other indigenous populations), or consumption of highly contaminated fish (e.g., gold-mining regions in the Amazon). DATA SYNTHESIS Recent evidence raises the possibility of effects of low-level MeHg exposure on fetal growth among susceptible subgroups and on infant growth in the first 2 years of life. Low-level effects of MeHg on neuro-logic outcomes may differ by age, sex, and timing of exposure. No clear pattern has been observed for cardio-vascular disease (CVD) risk across populations or for specific CVD end points. For the few studies evaluating immunologic effects associated with MeHg, results have been inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS Studies targeted at identifying potential mechanisms of low-level MeHg effects and characterizing individual susceptibility, sexual dimorphism, and non-linearity in dose response would help guide future prevention, policy, and regulatory efforts surrounding MeHg exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret R Karagas
- Section of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
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46
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Engström A, Michaëlsson K, Vahter M, Julin B, Wolk A, Åkesson A. Associations between dietary cadmium exposure and bone mineral density and risk of osteoporosis and fractures among women. Bone 2012; 50:1372-8. [PMID: 22465267 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2012.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2011] [Revised: 02/10/2012] [Accepted: 03/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Osteoporosis and its main health outcome, fragility fractures, are large and escalating public health problems. Cadmium, a widespread food contaminant, is a proposed risk factor; still the association between estimated dietary cadmium exposure and bone mineral density (BMD) has never been assessed. Within a sub-cohort of the Swedish Mammography Cohort, we assessed dietary cadmium exposure based on a food frequency questionnaire (1997) and urinary cadmium (2004-2008) in relation to total-body BMD and risk of osteoporosis and fractures (1997-2009) among 2676 women (aged 56-69 years). In multivariable-adjusted linear regression, dietary cadmium was inversely associated with BMD at the total body and lumbar spine. After further adjustment for dietary factors important for bone health and cadmium bioavailability--calcium, magnesium, iron and fiber, the associations became more pronounced. A 32% increased risk of osteoporosis (95% CI: 2-71%) and 31% increased risk for any first incident fracture (95% CI: 2-69%) were observed comparing high dietary cadmium exposure (≥13 μg/day, median) with lower exposures (<13 μg/day). By combining high dietary with high urinary cadmium (≥0.50 μg/g creatinine), odds ratios among never-smokers were 2.65 (95% CI: 1.43-4.91) for osteoporosis and 3.05 (95% CI: 1.66-5.59) for fractures. In conclusion, even low-level cadmium exposure from food is associated with low BMD and an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The partial masking of the associations by essential nutrients indicates important interplay between dietary factors and contaminants present in food. In separate analyses, dietary and urinary cadmium underestimated the association with bone effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Engström
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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47
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You CH, Kim BG, Jo EM, Kim GY, Yu BC, Hong MG, Kim DS, Hong YS. The relationship between the fish consumption and blood total/methyl-mercury concentration of costal area in Korea. Neurotoxicology 2012; 33:676-82. [PMID: 22525937 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2012.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2011] [Revised: 04/02/2012] [Accepted: 04/09/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between fish consumption and blood THg/MeHg concentration in Korean adults by measuring MeHg concentration in blood directly. The study subjects consisted of 400 adults aged 20 or older from 30 subareas in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do province in Korea from August to October, 2010. We tried to recruit the same number of male and female participants in different age groups (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) and allocated 13-16 subjects by district to represent Hg concentration in the research areas. The geometric means of THg and MeHg concentration in blood were 5.27 μg/L (5.00-5.57) and 4.05 μg/L (3.81-4.32), respectively. The proportion of MeHg/THg concentration was 78.53% (77.09-79.97). MeHg concentration was higher in coastal areas (4.26 μg/L) than in inland areas (3.52 μg/L) and was higher in men (4.68 μg/L) than in women (3.52 μg/L). In male participants, blood MeHg concentration increased with increasing annual fish consumption, and the proportion of MeHg/THg concentration showed an upward trend as THg concentration increased. However, none of the measures of the proportion of MeHg/THg showed significant differences. This is the first report in Korea about the relationship between blood MeHg concentration and related factors. Our findings suggest that MeHg concentration is affected by fish consumption as well as by gender difference and drinking status. Since the pathological mechanism has not been clarified, additional studies are needed for explaining the biological and lifestyle differences in the risk of adverse health effects by Hg exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Hun You
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Collage of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Republic of Korea
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48
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Gargouri I, Khadhraoui M, Nisse C, Leroyer A, Larbi Masmoudi M, Elleuch B, Zmirou-Navier D. Occupational assessment of exposure to organic solvents in an adhesive producing company in Sfax, Tunisia. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE 2012; 9:D71-D76. [PMID: 22469150 DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2012.666494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Imed Gargouri
- Sfax University, Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory, National School of Engineers, Sfax, Tunisia
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49
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Gargouri I, Khadhraoui M, Nisse C, Leroyer A, Masmoudi ML, Frimat P, Marzin D, Elleuch B, Zmirou-Navier D. A case study on co-exposure to a mixture of organic solvents in a Tunisian adhesive-producing company. J Occup Med Toxicol 2011; 6:28. [PMID: 22082240 PMCID: PMC3226653 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6673-6-28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2010] [Accepted: 11/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives to assess environmental and biological monitoring of exposure to organic solvents in a glue-manufacturing company in Sfax, Tunisia. Methods Exposure of volunteer workers, in the solvented glue-work-stations, in the control laboratory and in the storage rooms of the finished products, was assessed through indoor-air and urine measurements. Informed consent of the workers was obtained. Results and discussion The exposure indexes were found with high values in the solvented workshop as well as in the control laboratory and were respectively, 8.40 and 3.12. These indexes were also correlated with hexane and toluene indoor air concentrations. As to urine, the obtained results for the 2,5-hexandione and hippuric acid, metabolites of hexane and toluene, respectively, were in accord with the indoor-air measurements, with an average of 0.46 mg/l and 1240 mg/g of creatinine. Conclusion This study assessed for the first time biological exposure to organic solvents used in Tunisian adhesive industries. Although values are likely to underestimate true exposure levels, some figures exceed European and American occupational exposure guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imed Gargouri
- Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory, National school of Engineers, Sfax University, Sfax - Tunisia.
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50
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Dietz R, Born EW, Rigét F, Aubail A, Sonne C, Drimmie R, Basu N. Temporal trends and future predictions of mercury concentrations in Northwest Greenland polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hair. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2011; 45:1458-65. [PMID: 21214235 DOI: 10.1021/es1028734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Hair samples from 117 Northwest Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were taken during 1892-2008 and analyzed for total mercury (hereafter Hg). The sample represented 28 independent years and the aim of the study was to analyze for temporal Hg trends. Mercury concentrations showed yearly significant increases of 1.6-1.7% (p < 0.0001) from 1892 to 2008 and the two most recent median concentrations from 2006 and 2008 were 23- to 27-fold higher respectively than baseline level from 1300 A.D. in the same region (Nuullit). This indicates that the present (2006-2008) Northwest Greenland polar bear Hg exposure is 95.6-96.2% anthropogenic in its origin. Assuming a continued anthropogenic increase, this model estimated concentrations in 2050 and 2100 will be 40- and 92-fold the baseline concentration, respectively, which is equivalent to a 97.5 and 98.9% man-made contribution. None of the 2001-2008 concentrations of Hg in Northwest Greenland polar bear hair exceeded the general guideline values of 20-30 μg/g dry weight for terrestrial wildlife, whereas the neurochemical effect level of 5.4 μg Hg/g dry weight proposed for East Greenland polar bears was exceeded in 93.5% of the cases. These results call for detailed effect studies in main target organs such as brain, liver, kidney, and sexual organs in the Northwest Greenland polar bears.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Dietz
- National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Denmark.
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