Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels in blood of Finnish adults and their relation to diet, lifestyle habits and sociodemographic variables

Abstract

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort program (NFBC) is the epidemiological and longitudinal prospective general population research program, which was established to promote health and wellbeing of the population in northern Finland. The aim of present study, as a part of the NFBC program, was to analyze the blood levels of arsenic (B-As), cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb), total mercury (B-Hg) and selenium (B-Se); to compare these levels with threshold limits; to study sociodemographic factors; and to correlate these levels with calcium and haemoglobin. The study was comprised of 249 NFBC subjects, of which 123 were female and 126 were male (ages 31.1 ± 0.3 and 31.1 ± 0.4, respectively). All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding diet and living habits. The geometric means (± SD) of B-As were 0.49 ± 2.80 μg/l and 0.44 ± 2.72 μg/l; B-Cd were 0.18 ± 4.02 μg/l and 0.12 ± 3.21 μg/l; B-Pb were 17.0 ± 1.8 μg/l and 9.06 ± 2.20 μg/l; B-Hg were 2.18 ± 2.02 μg/l and 1.85 ± 1.78 μg/l; and B-Se were 106.0 ± 1.3 and 94.3 ± 1.3 μg/l in males and females, respectively. Among the subjects in the present analysis, 23 % of males and 17.1 % of females had B-As levels above the ATSDR normal human levels of B-As in unexposed individuals (1.0 μg/l). The B-Pb geometric mean (12.44 μg/l) was approximately one eighth the CDC toxicological cut-off point of 100 μg/l. Twenty-one individuals (8.4 %) exceeded a B-Hg level of 5.8 μg/l. Fifty-eight females (47 %) had a B-Hg higher than 2.0 μg/l, the German Federal Environmental Agency cut-off point for women (18-69 years) who consume fish at least three times/month; therefore, their babies could be at risk of adverse effects during development.

Predictors of mercury, lead, cadmium and antimony status in Norwegian never-pregnant women of fertile age

“…The median Pb value of 0.04 μmol/L was low in our population and comparable to published data from Nordic female populations [ 38 , 41 , 43 , 44 ] ( Table 5 ). Pb levels in premenopausal, non-pregnant women are primarily due to exposures to contaminated food or water [ 51 ].…”

“…We found a 63% higher median Cd level in regular users of tobacco, confirmed by cotinine levels, compared to non-users. The median cadmium level in our non-users of tobacco, 1.51 nmol/L, was about twice as high as the value of Finnish non-smokers aged 31 years, 0.62 nmol/L, while the median level in our current tobacco-users, 2.47 nmol/L, was substantially lower than in the Finnish smokers, 6.04 nmol/L [ 38 ].…”

Increased intestinal permeability with elevated peripheral blood endotoxin and inflammatory indices for e-waste lead exposure in children

“…Similar to the living environment of e-waste-exposed children, workers with e-waste recycling occupations also displayed high blood Pb levels in Nigeria (geometric mean: 11.0 μg/dL) as well as those with battery recycling in Pakistan (median: 25.5 μg/dL) (Baloch et al, 2020;Popoola et al, 2019). The levels of environmental pollutants in the body can be affected by routes and frequencies of exposure, as well as the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of the poisons (Abass et al, 2017). Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate the demographic characteristics, daily routine, and family environment to find out the factors influencing Pb exposure in children.…”

“…Compared to higher-income families, low-income families may lack the finance to refurbish the older house decorated by Pb paint, and their children had a greater possibility to bear high Pb exposure (Marshall et al, 2020). In addition, people with lower educational level may lack the awareness to protect them from pollutants exposure, which has potential contributions of higher blood Pb and diseases (Abass et al, 2017;Decharat and Kiddee, 2020;Kazi et al, 2015). Therefore, parents, especially those in the exposed group with low education levels may carry out environmental pollutants home from the workplace and do not effectively guide their children to stay away from the pollutants (Cai et al, 2019).…”

The Metal Neurotoxins: An Important Role in Current Human Neural Epidemics?

“…Approximate maximum values are given in parenthesis indicating the upper value extremes and tail lengths reported for outlier cases. Displayed values are taken from As [ 106 ]; Al [ 103 ]; Hg [ 107 ]; Mn [ 112 ]; Pb [ 103 ]; and Se [ 114 ].…”