Cadmium exposure and early renal effects in the children and adults living in a tungsten-molybdenum mining areas of South China

Abstract

Adverse health effects related to accumulative cadmium (Cd) exposure have aroused widespread attention from the public in China. Knowledge on the relationships between Cd exposure and early renal effects is particularly limited for children, who are more susceptible to absorbing metals than adults. A typical Cd-polluted area of South China was selected to determine the Cd exposure and related early renal effects of the general population, including children. In total, 211 children and 806 adults were enrolled in the study. The urinary levels of Cd (U-Cd), β-microglobulin (U-BMG), retinol binding protein (U-RBP), and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (U-NAG) were measured. The relationship between U-Cd and ranked indicators of early renal effects was examined by multiple regression analysis. The average U-Cd ranged from 7.01 μg/g creatinine (boys) to 13.55 μg/g creatinine (women) in the Cd-polluted areas. These values are much higher than those of the control group and those that have been reported by other countries. In agreement with previous studies, environmental Cd pollution resulted in elevated Cd accumulation in the bodies of children, and it increased the concentration of NAG in their urine. Similarly, environmental Cd pollution increased NAG and BMG in the urine of adults. Multivariate models showed that the urinary excretion of BMG, RBP, and NAG was positively associated with Cd levels in the urine of both children and adults. The reference thresholds of U-Cd in relation to elevated U-BMG, U-RBP, and U-NAG were higher in children than adults after standardization for other covariates. These results reinforce the need to control and regulate the sources of environmental Cd contamination and to promote more effective risk management measures, especially for vulnerable groups.

Heavy metal(loid)s in fruit-growing soils of tropical Hainan Island in China: Pollution, ecological-health risks, spatial assessment, and source analyses

“…Cd was significantly positively correlated with pH, indicating that the content of Cd in soil is related to the soil pH. This is in accordance with previous reports showing that many areas of acidic soil in South China are contaminated by heavy metal(loid)s, among which Cd causes the most serious pollution [41,42] . Moreover, soil OM, which has a strong complexing capacity for metallic pollutants, was significantly and positively correlated with most of heavy metal(loid)s. Figure 3 illustrates the mean concentrations of heavy metal(loid)s in soils with different OM contents, based on Kruskal-Wallis H-test results.…”

Benchmark dose estimation of urinary and blood cadmium as biomarkers of renal dysfunction among 40‐75‐year‐old non‐smoking women in rural areas of southwest China

“…Similar relationships between U‐Cd and the two indicators of renal function have been reported in studies conducted on Cd‐polluted or non‐polluted areas (Cui et al, ; Kubo et al, ; Mezynska & Brzoska, ). Wang et al showed that β 2 ‐MG is the most sensitive indicator in women compared with NAG and RBP (Wang et al, ).…”

Nephrotoxic Biomarkers with Specific Indications for Metallic Pollutants: Implications for Environmental Health

“…More recently 79 it was reported that there were early renal effects of Cd exposure in children and adults living in a tungsten-molybdenum mining area of China. The investigated population studied had significantly higher accumulation of Cd and this was reflected in increasing levels of urinary NAG and β 2 -MG in children and adults.…”