Investigating relationships between biomarkers of exposure and environmental copper and manganese levels in house dusts from a Portuguese industrial city

Abstract

This study reports on data obtained from a pilot survey focusing on house dust and toenail metal (loids) concentrations in residents living in the industrial city of Estarreja. The study design hereby described aims at investigating relationships between human toenails and both copper and manganese levels in house dusts. A total of 21 households and 30 individuals were recruited for the pilot study: 19 households corresponding to 27 residents living near the industrial complex, forming the exposed group, plus 2 households and 3 residents from residential areas with no anticipated environmental contaminants that were used for comparison. Factorial analysis was used for source apportionment purposes. Investigation on the potential influence of environmental factors over copper and manganese levels in the toenails was carried out via questionnaire data and multiple correspondence analysis. The results show that copper concentrations are more elevated in the indoor dusts while manganese concentrations are more elevated in the outdoor dust samples. The geometrical relationships in the datasets suggest that the backyard soil is a probable source of manganese to the indoor dust. Copper and manganese contents in the toenail clippings are more elevated in children than in adults but the difference between the two age groups is not statistically significant (p> 0.05). Investigation of environmental factors influencing the exposurebiomarker association indicates a probable relationship between manganese contents in indoor dust and manganese levels in toenail clippings, a result that is partially supported by the bioaccessibility estimates.However, for copper no relationship was found between indoor dusts and the biomarkers of exposure.

Lead and zinc concentrations in household dust and toenails of the residents (Estarreja, Portugal): a source-pathway-fate model

“…23,24 While there is a reasonable amount of literature available on the identication of sources, especially outdoors, [25][26][27][28] studies that have examined the source apportionment of indoor residential contaminants are still scarce. 29 A few studies on indoor residential environments have examined indicators specic to indoor sources, such as wood burning in replaces, 30 and cooking. 31,32 Urban studies on the composition of street dust have identied elemental tracers and source signatures typically associated with primary urban sources 33,34 (e.g., vehicular traffic, waste incineration).…”

“…This paper follows on from earlier research undertaken to assess indoor dust ingestion as a potential exposure pathway in the home environment and further investigates the exposurebiomarker relationships. 30 Elevated household dust Zn contents and a few anomalous toenails Pb concentrations justied additional investigation on these two PTEs. Hence, the main aims of this study were: (i) to determine Pb and Zn concentrations in the household dust and residents' toenails; (ii) to develop a methodology to identify potential sources of PTEs in the household dust and estimate their relative contributions and (iii) to investigate exposure-biomarker relationships for the two PTEs.…”

Source and pathway analysis of lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Lisbon urban soils

“…Understanding significant relationships between variables (physicochemical properties, PTEs and PAHs concentrations), between individuals (soil samples), and between variables and individuals of a given dataset, may provide further knowledge on potential sources (Yongming et al, 2006;Reis et al, 2009Reis et al, , 2015. In this study, such associations were investigated using PCA.…”

The Cancer and Non-Cancer Risk of Santiago Island (Cape Verde) Population due to Potential Toxic Elements Exposure from Soils

“…The chemical composition of dust, soils, and groundwater may cause metabolic changes that may favor the occurrence of endemic diseases in humans [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The role of F, I, Se, and As concentrations in the health of human populations is well documented in the scientific literature [21][22][23][24][25][26].…”