Elevated trace element output in urine following acute volcanic gas exposure

Durand, Michael; Florkowski, Chris; George, Peter M.; Walmsley, T A; Weinstein, Philip; Cole, Jim

doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2004.01.007

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Since the prevalence of smoking in Santa Maria is about twice the one of Furnas (Peixoto, 2005), and the risk of cancer of respiratory and intrathoracic organs is higher in Santa Maria (Amaral et al, 2006), it is reasonable to infer that the most referred cause (tobacco) for chronic bronchitis may not be the only factor affecting the very high incidence rates of this chronic disease in Furnas. Durand et al (2004) verified that after 20 min of exposure of humans to volcanic gases, the levels of SO 2 were above the short-term limits for occupational exposures set by the National Institute of Occupational Safety of Health of the United States of America. The European Union establishes a 1-h limit of 0.134 ppm, that should not be exceeded more than 24 times in a calendar year, a 24-h limit of 0.048 ppm not to be exceeded more than three times in a calendar year, and an annually limit of 0.008 ppm (European Council, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Many of these dusts and gases, in lethal and sub-lethal doses, may be of anthropogenic origin but may also be generated by volcanic eruptions and subsequent volcanic activity during hundreds of years. Volcanoes and volcanic manifestations, such as fumaroles and degassing soils, may release metals, and hazardous aerosols and gases such as the radioactive gas radon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and sulfuric acid (Haschek and Witschi, 1991;Delmelle and Stix, 2000;Durand et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chronic exposure to volcanic environments and chronic bronchitis incidence in the Azores, Portugal

Amaral

Rodrigues

2007

Environmental Research

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The village of Furnas, like other active volcanic areas in the world, exhibits high levels of hazardous gases. We aimed to investigate the existence of a possible association between chronic exposure to volcanic sulfur gases and chronic bronchitis. To investigate this, we used two populations, one exposed to active manifestations of volcanism (Furnas) and another from an area where no volcanic activity took place for over three million years (Santa Maria), both in the Azores. We used data on the incidence of chronic bronchitis among both populations (1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001), obtained from the records of each local health center, and population denominators from censuses carried out in 1991 and 2001, using five age-groups. We also estimated relative risks and mean annual age-standardized rates of chronic bronchitis incidence. Incidence rates were extremely higher in the volcanically active area for both sexes, and especially in the youngest groups. Accordingly, the risk of chronic bronchitis for the people living in the volcanically active area was extremely higher (males RR ¼ 3.99; females RR ¼ 10.74) when compared to those living in the volcanically inactive area. Comparison of chronic bronchitis incidence rates between both populations suggests an association between this disease and the chronic exposure to the volcanically active environment, with all its hazardous gases like hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. These findings may help health officials to better advice people inhabiting volcanic areas, or others with high levels of sulfur gases, on how to prevent and minimize the risks of chronic bronchitis. r

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic exposure to volcanic environments and chronic bronchitis incidence in the Azores, Portugal

Amaral

Rodrigues

2007

Environmental Research

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“…In the case of Cd and Zn, levels found in the liver and kidney were 10-30 times and 2-6 times, respectively, higher to those of rodents from the abandoned mines mentioned before (Milton et al 2003; Viegas-Crespo et al Pereira et al 2006). The very high levels of Al, Cd, Pb, and Zn in mice from Furnas may result from the ingestion of food or soil rich in those metals but also from the inhalation of volcanic gases and aerosols that transport those elements (Durand and Grattan 1999;Ferreira and Oskarsson 1999;Durand et al 2004), as confirmed by the high levels found in the lung. In mice from Rabo de Peixe, the lung presented levels of Pb higher than those from Furnas, that may be justified by the proximity of that sampling area to a site where extraction of basaltic rock and aggregate production occurs, this way contributing with dusts produced during the separation and transformation of basalt rich in Pb (Drever 1997) that can be retained, in part, in the respiratory tract but also in the lung.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…One example of natural input of metals in soil, water, and air is volcanic activity, which may manifest through lava emissions, degassing soils, and hydrothermal sources, and is responsible for the presence of metals in those media, as particles or associated with gases (Ferreira and Oskarsson 1999;Delmelle and Stix 2000;Kelepertsis et al 2001;Durand et al 2004;Hansell et al 2006). Accumulation of trace metals in different tissues and organs of terrestrial invertebrates (Heikens et al 2001;Lock and Janssen 2001;Amaral and Rodrigues 2005;Amaral et al 2006b) and vertebrates (Wlostowski et al 2000;Pereira et al 2006) exposed to natural and anthropogenic sources of these elements has been reported in many previous studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apoptosis, metallothionein, and bioavailable metals in domestic mice (Mus musculus L.) from a human-inhabited volcanic area

et al. 2007

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The influence of extreme environments of volcanic origin over vertebrates and the cellular responses that these may give are almost unknown. The main objectives were to evaluate the exposure of mice to metals in the interior of houses of a small village settled inside a volcanic crater (Furnas, Azores), and the levels of apoptosis and metallothionein in the organs (lung, liver, and kidney) of those animals. Adult mice (Mus musculus) were captured in two areas, one with volcanic activity and the other without it over the last three centuries. In the excised organs, analysis of metals (Al, Cd, Pb, Zn), TUNEL assay for apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry for metallothionein were undertook. Mice from the area with volcanic activity presented higher levels of apoptosis and metallothionein than those from the area without volcanic activity. Such results were in agreement with the differences in metal burdens of the three organs, and interestingly these concentrations were similar to or higher than others found in heavily polluted areas outside the Azores. Thus, there may be a high risk of harmful effects for organisms, including humans, inhabiting areas with volcanism, where hazardous gases and metals in the air are very common during the entire day or even all year round.

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“…Rocks and volatiles of volcanic origins are responsible for the presence of metals in soils and waters (Aiuppa et al, 2000;Cruz et al, 1999;Ferreira and Oskarsson, 1999;Kelepertsis et al, 2001), since diffusion of acidic volcanic gases through water permeable rocks contributes to the hydrological material transfer in volcanic strata (Cruz et al, 1999). Volcanic activity is responsible for the release of metals such as arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), aluminum (Al), rubidium (Rb), lead (Pb), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), among others (Delmelle and Stix, 2000;Durand et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%