Lung function decline and blood lead among residents nearby to industrial complex

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was to ascertain the risk factors of pulmonary function decline (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV(1)], forced vital capacity [FVC]) among those exposed to lead in the vicinity of industrial complex. METHODS: In total, 263 men and women, aged over 30, were recruited from two cities during a 2-year follow-up. Spirometry testing was conducted first at baseline and then after 2-years of follow-up. The change in FVC and FEV(1) during the study period was analyzed according to blood lead (BPb), urinary cotinine, and 1-hydroxypyrene, after controlling for sex, height, baseline FVC or FEV(1), and airway hyperresponsiveness. RESULTS: With increase in age, both FEV(1) and FVC declined. More marked decline in FVC was noted for men than for women (p < 0.05), while the decline in FEV(1) was not. Biological variables, especially height (p < 0.05) and pulmonary status (p < 0.0001), were associated with the decline in both FEV(1) and FVC. Even after controlling these other variables, blood lead level was also significantly associated with the decline of FVC. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the decline in FEV(1) and FVC with aging was within a normal range, people with smaller height were more vulnerable to the decline of both FEV(1) and FVC and especially higher level of BPb was accompanied with larger decline of FVC. Oxidative stress in relation to lead accumulation in adult may contribute to rapid aging of pulmonary function.

Scoping Review—The Association between Asthma and Environmental Chemicals

“…There are quite a few studies investigating the association between exposure to lead and asthma, and therefore, the association is undetermined. Increased Pb blood levels are associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness, total IgE and decrease in FEV 1 and FVC [16,17,25,68]. In a recent study the blood Pb level was associated with self-reported asthma [65].…”

“…HBM4EU-priority chemicals associated with asthma are diisocyanates, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) (both cause specific sensitization), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organophosphate insecticides [8,12,18,23,24]. The following chemicals are possibly associated with asthma: phthalates, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), pyrethroid insecticides, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead and p-Phenylenediamine (p-PDA, a potential specific sensitizer) [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][19][20][21][22].…”

“…Mechanisms lying behind asthma's development are complex and include host factors such as genetics and sex, and environmental factors, like exposure to allergens or smoking [1,3]. Additionally, various environmental chemicals may affect the risk of asthma development and can escalate asthma symptoms [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

Decreased lung function with mediation of blood parameters linked to e-waste lead and cadmium exposure in preschool children

“…Only a few studies have demonstrated that blood Pb and blood Cd levels were associated with lower lung function levels in adults. Whether this also holds for children (who are more susceptible) from e-waste recycling areas was not explored and therefore still unclear (Pak et al, 2012;Park and Lee, 2013;Oh et al, 2014).…”

Evaluation of the Exposure to Environmental Pollutants Emanating from National Industrial Complexes

“…However, this type of analysis has been rarely performed. For example, a study reporting the association between the Sihwa/Banwol IC and increased blood lead levels and reduced pulmonary function in nearby residents [ 16 ], and another study reporting the association between various IC areas and elevated urine cadmium concentrations and decreased bone mineral density in nearby residents [ 17 ] performed biomarker-based exposure assessments without verifying the causal relationship between the high biomarker concentrations and the pollutants released from the corresponding IC. A survey was conducted among the residents of the exposure areas and control areas as part of the IC Monitoring Project, but it was impossible to confirm whether the inter-area difference was ascribable to the IC using only the questionnaire-based cross-sectional correlation [ 3 ].…”