Whole blood and hair trace elements and minerals in children living in metal-polluted area near copper smelter in Karabash, Chelyabinsk region, Russia

Abstract

The primary aim of the study is assessment of hair and whole blood trace element and mineral levels in children living in a polluted area near a copper smelter (Karabash) and two control locations (Varna, Tomino) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The obtained data indicates that both blood and hair As, Pb, and Fe levels in children living in Karabash significantly exceeded the control values. Whole blood levels of copper in children living in Varna exceeded that in Tomino (p = 0.155) and Karabash (p < 0.001) by 16 %. Oppositely, hair concentration of Cu was maximal in children from Karabash. Blood Ca and Mg content in children from Varna exceeded the respective values from Tomino and Karabash by 32 % (p = 0.021) and 42 % (p < 0.001), and 19 % (p < 0.001) and 9 % (p < 0.001), respectively. Similar differences were observed in hair mineral content. Oppositely, children living in Tomino and Karabash were characterized by 10 (p = 0.002) and 23 % (p < 0.001) higher levels of blood phosphorus. At the same time, hair P content was maximal in a polluted area. Therefore, children living in a polluted area near a copper smelter had significantly higher values of heavy metals and decreased Mg and Ca content in biosamples. It is supposed that adverse health effects in persons living near a copper smelter may be associated not only with toxic metal overexposure but also with altered mineral homeostasis.

Biomonitoring of Trace Elements in Hair of Schoolchildren Living Near a Hazardous Waste Incinerator—A 20 Years Follow-Up

“…In contrast, higher Ni levels were found when our data are compared with those of other studies, excepting those reported by Xie et al [30] in Shaoguan Guangdong (China) and Evrenoglou et al [14] in Athens (Greece). In turn, Pb levels were higher than those found in hair of children living in some mining, volcanic, sub-urban and urban areas [14,26,34,36,47] but lower than values from children living near certain mining zones, as well as near to toxic waste disposal sites and cement plants [11,30,34,35,37]. The individual characteristics of the geographic areas where the children live would probably be the responsible of the observed variability in Ni and Pb levels among studies.…”

“…The concentrations of trace elements in hair of schoolchildren were compared with those of recent studies found in the scientific literature ( Table 5). Most of these investigations are focused on areas with important industrial or mining activities or even in urban zones [11,14,26,30,[34][35][36][37]46,47]. The different results might be attributed to the differences among the respective geographical areas.…”

“…Considering that there exist many emission sources in the area, the environmental surveillance of metals and metalloids is clearly a need for public health. The non-occupationally population is exposed to trace elements mainly through the diet including water [11], being inhalation and transdermal absorption minor exposure pathways [12]. The effects of a chronic/acute exposure to trace elements are varied, including cancer (e.g., arsenic [As], cadmium [Cd], chromium [Cr], nickel [Ni]), skin lesions (e.g., As, beryllium [Be], tin [Sn]), neurological disorders (e.g., mercury [Hg], manganese [Mn], thallium [Tl]), learning disability (e.g., lead [Pb]) or respiratory problems (e.g., vanadium [V]) among others [13][14][15][16][17].…”

Lead concentration in human hair in Russia: a systematic review

“…Производственная и повседневная деятельность человека связана с увеличением содержания ряда токсичных микроэлементов [1][2][3][4]. Одним из наиболее опасных микроэлементов является свинец, который поступает в организм человека в основном алиментарным, ингаляционным путём и через неповреждённую кожу [5].…”

“…Предполагается, что содержание свинца в тканях человека (волосы, ногти, кровь и т.д.) является показателем экологического состояния окружающей среды [2,3,[23][24][25], поэтому во многих работах приводятся данные об источниках поступления микроэлемента в аэрогеотические звенья [2,3]. Среди прочего биоматериала многие авторы [1,2,23,26] отмечают преимущество волос для анализа концентрации металлов в организме человека.…”