Comparison of Plasma Concentrations of Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic among Women in 2005 and 2012 in a Historically Cont
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Comparison of Plasma Concentrations of Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic among Women in 2005 and 2012 in a Historically Contaminated Area in China Lei Jin 1
&
Jing-ru Yu 2 & Le Zhang 1 & Ai-guo Ren 1
Received: 31 October 2019 / Accepted: 6 February 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) concentrations in women were measured and compared to evaluate the effects of environmental heavy-metal pollution control on internal exposure levels. In 2005 and 2012, 200 and 182 women, respectively, were enrolled in the study. Demographic and diet information were collected using a questionnaire. Fasting venous blood samples were collected, and plasma concentrations of Hg, Cd, and As were measured using inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The median concentrations (P25–P75) of Hg, Cd, and As decreased from 0.56 (0.46–0.75) ng/mL, 0.14 (0.09–0.21) ng/mL, and 0.83 (0.66–1.09) ng/mL in 2005 to 0.39 (0.19–0.66) ng/mL, 0.09 (0.05–0.13) ng/mL, and 0.48 (0.29–0.72) ng/mL in 2012, respectively. The difference in plasma metal concentrations between measurements in 2005 and 2012 remained statistically significant after we adjusted for confounders. The adjusted ORs were 0.31 (0.16–0.60), 0.24 (0.12–0.48), and 0.25 (0.13–0.50) for Hg, Cd, and As concentrations, respectively, in 2012, relative to those in 2005. The levels of Hg, Cd, and As were 30% to 40% lower in 2012 than in 2005, indicative of lower human internal exposure to these contaminants due to the implementation of environmental pollution control. Engagement with agriculture and high-frequency water product consumption were associated with high Hg levels, and a high frequency of consumption of fresh fruit and eggs was negatively associated with lower levels of Cd in plasma. Keywords Mercury . Cadmium . Arsenic . Plasma . Element . Woman
Introduction In general, heavy metals are persistent and tend to accumulate in different environments. Because few metals are eliminated through chemical and biological means, they remain in the environment as a threat to human health [1]. Environmental pollution by heavy metals is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, municipal waste, sewage, pesticides, the smelting of metalliferous ore, fertilizers, and mining, which result in the
* Lei Jin [email protected] 1
Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University/Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
2
Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Nobels väg 12A, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
contamination of aqueous waste streams, groundwater, and soil [2]. Environmental contamination by heavy metals has increased since 1900 [3] and is a worldwide problem. Exposure to heavy metals can damage the circulatory and urinary systems [4, 5], compromise neur
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