• Toxicological Research
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.57-64
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• 2016

Recently several studies reported that the renal toxicity of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) may exist in even a low level exposure. In terms of the deterioration of tubular function, it affects the loss of divalent metals and leads to other complications, so renal tubular effect of heavy metals should be well managed. Considering the exposure to heavy metals in reality, it is hard to find the case that human is exposed to only one heavy metal. We designed a cross-sectional study using Korean Research Project on the Integrated Exposure Assessment (KRIEFS) data to investigate the renal effects of multiple metal exposure in general population. We used blood Pb and urinary Cd as exposure measures, and urinary N-acetyl-${\beta}$-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and ${\beta}_2$-microglobulin (${\beta}_2$-MG) as renal tubular impairment outcome. We conducted linear regression to identify the association between each heavy metal and urinary NAG and ${\beta}_2$-MG. And then, we conducted linear regression including the interaction term. Of 1953 adults in KRIEFS (2010~2011), the geometric mean of blood Pb and urinary Cd concentration was $2.21{\mu}g/dL$ (geometric $SD=1.49{\mu}g/dL$) and $1.08{\mu}g/g\;cr$ (geometric $SD=1.98{\mu}g/g\;cr$), respectively. In urinary Cd, the strength of the association was also high after adjusting (urinary NAG: ${\beta}=0.44$, p < 0.001; urinary ${\beta}_2$-MG: ${\beta}=0.13$, p = 0.002). Finally, we identified the positive interactions for the two renal biomarkers. The interaction effect of the two heavy metals of ${\beta}_2$-MG was greater than that of NAG. It is very important in public health perspective if the low level exposure to multiple heavy metals has an interaction effect on kidney. More epidemiological studies for the interaction and toxicological studies on the mechanism are needed.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제35권
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• pp.23.1-23.14
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• 2023

Background: Exposure to heavy metals is a public health concern worldwide. Previous studies on the association between heavy metal exposure and neurobehavioral functions in children have focused on single exposures and clinical manifestations. However, the present study evaluated the effects of heavy metal complex exposure on subclinical neurobehavioral function using a Korean Computerized Neurobehavior Test (KCNT). Methods: Urinary mercury, lead, cadmium analyses as well as symbol digit substitution (SDS) and choice reaction time (CRT) tests of the KCNT were conducted in children aged between 10 and 12 years. Reaction time and urinary heavy metal levels were analyzed using partial correlation, linear regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and quantile G-computation analysis. Results: Participants of 203 SDS tests and 198 CRT tests were analyzed, excluding poor cooperation and inappropriate urine sample. Partial correlation analysis revealed no association between neurobehavioral function and exposure to individual heavy metals. The result of multiple linear regression shows significant positive association between urinary lead, mercury, and CRT. BMKR, WQS regression and quantile G-computation analysis showed a statistically significant positive association between complex urinary heavy metal concentrations, especially lead and mercury, and reaction time. Conclusions: Assuming complex exposures, urinary heavy metal concentrations showed a statistically significant positive association with CRT. These results suggest that heavy metal complex exposure during childhood should be evaluated and managed strictly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.166-174
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• 2001

Objectives : To obtain basic data on blood lead level and urinary level of arsenic and cadmium of children living near a petrochemical estate and a suburban area in Ulsan, Korea and to observe the trend of the changes. In the level of these metals in these children. Methods : The study subjects comprised 626 children living near a petrochemical estate and 299 children living in a suburban area of Ulsan. We analyzed the level of lead, arsenic and cadmium using atomic absorption spectrometer. Results : The mean levels of blood lead in children living near the petrochemical estate were $5.25{\mu}g/dl,\;5.24{\mu}g/dl,\;and\;7.24{\mu}g/dl$, and in the years 1997, 1999, and 2000, respectively, whereas those of children living in the suburban area were $3.81{\mu}g/dl,\;4.75{\mu}g/dl,\;and\;7.19{\mu}g/dl$ respectively. The mean levels of urinary arsenic in children living near the petrochemical estate were $4.57{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, $4.78{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and $6.02{\mu}g/g$ creatinine in the year 1997, 1999, and 2000 respectively, whereas those of children living in suburban area were $2.35{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, $4.75{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and $7.07{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, respectively. The mean levels of urinary cadmium in children living near the petrochemical estate were $1.15{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, $1.05{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and $1.71{\mu}g/g$ creatinine in the year 1997, 1999, and 2000, respectively, whereas those of the children living in the suburban area were $0.74{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, $1.29{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and $1.48{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, respectively. There were increasing trends in the level of blood lead, urinary arsenic and cadmium of children in Ulsan, and the differences in the level of these metals were disappearing between the children living in other areas year by year. Conclusions : These results suggest that the amount of exposure to lead, arsenic, and cadmium is increasing from year to year, and there is a need for periodic biological and atmospheric monitoring of these metals in Ulsan.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.594-604
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• 2019

Objectives: This study developed and validated an analysis method of urinary metals and metalloids that can be applied inductively with coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Methods: 0.3 mL of urine was used to analyze 25 metal and metalloid compounds using ICP-MS. The validation of the analytical method included linearity, accuracy, precision, and the calculation of detection limits. In addition, a comparison test was performed with the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) method, which is the current standard method, with urine samples of 66 healthy subjects. Results: The linearities (R²) of calibration curves of all 25 compounds were ≥ 0.999. Of the 25 compounds, the intra-day and inter-day accuracy% of 17 and 20 met ≤15%, respectively. In addition, fifteen compounds showed ≤15% recovery% for certificated reference materials. Intraclass correlation coefficients of the comparison between the current methods and new methods in this study were 0.952 (p-value<0.001) and 0.911 (p-value<0.001) for urinary cadmium and mercury, respectively. Conclusion: This study proposes an efficient simultaneous methodology that can analyze multi elements in smaller sample amounts. More reproduction experiments are needed in the future.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.59-72
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of heavy metal concentrations in the blood and urine of the general population. This research had been conducted from April to December 2008, studying 545 residents of Daejeon and Chungcheong Province. Through the concentrations of heavy metals(Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Mn) in the biota samples and questionnaires, the residents heavy metal exposure level and the influential factors according to personal characteristics or lifestyle were evaluated. As to the heavy metal concentration in the blood and urine of the comparing region, were As and Mn statistically significant(p<0.01, p<0.05). Blood lead and urinary mercury concentrations were higher in males than females. The heavy metal concentration for each age group increased blood mercury. The concentration of all heavy metals were higher in the drinkers than in the non-drinkers. Blood lead and mercury concentrations were higher in the smokers than in the non-smokers, but the urinary cadmium, arsenic and blood manganese was higher in the non-smokers than in the smokers. As to the blood lead and urinary cadmium concentration according to the food preference fish showed high concentration. To clarify the factors affecting the heavy metal concentration in biota among subjects multiple regression analysis was conducted. As a results, it turned out that as to lead content in blood, sex, age and smoking have influence on the subjects with explanatory adequacy of 14.0 %. These results demonstrated that the factors affected the concentrations of heavy metals in blood and urine. The results of this study could be used as the foundational data for setting the health risk assessment.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제26권
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• pp.7.1-7.9
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between crude oil exposure and physical symptoms among residents participating in clean-up work associated with the Hebei Spirit oil spill, 2007 in Korea. Methods: A total of 288 residents responded to a questionnaire regarding subjective physical symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics and clean-up activities that occurred between two and eight weeks after the accident. Additionally, the urine of 154 of the respondents was analyzed for metabolites of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. To compare the urinary levels of exposure biomarkers, the urine of 39 inland residents who were not directly exposed to the oil spill were analyzed. Results: Residents exposed to oil remnants through clean-up work showed associations between physical symptoms and the exposure levels defined in various ways, including days of work, degree of skin contamination, and levels of some urinary exposure biomarkers of VOCs, metabolites and metals, although no major abnormalities in urinary exposure biomarkers were observed. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a relationship between crude oil exposure and acute human health effects and suggests the need for follow-up to evaluate the exposure status and long-term health effects of clean-up participants.

• 셀메드
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.1.1-1.10
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• 2017

Minerals are individual of the components of foods and are not produced in the body but essential for best possible health. Several essential metals are vital for the appropriate performance of various enzymes, transcriptional factors and proteins that are essential in various biochemical paths. Metals like zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) are cofactors of hundreds of enzymes. Zn is involved in the synthesis and secretion of insulin from the pancreatic ${\beta}-cells$. Chromium (Cr) increases the insulin receptors activity on target tissues, mainly in muscle cells. Insulin hormone is required to maintain the blood glucose amount in normal range. Continual increase of blood serum glucose level leads to marked chronic hyperglycemia or diabetes mellitus. Deficiency of insulin or its resistance, blood glucose level exceeds the upper limit of the common range of 126 mg/dl. Poor glucose control and diabetes changes the levels of essential trace elements such as Zn, Mg, Mn, Cr, iron etc. by rising urinary excretion and their related decrease in the blood. The aim of this article to discusses the important roles of essential trace elements in particular perspective of type 2 diabetes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

저자들은 울산 공단지역 인근 초등학교 학생들의 요중 비소, 카드뮴, 아연 등 3 개 중금속 농도를 측정하여 초등학생들 의 건강관리를 위한 기초자료를 얻고 또 한 우리나라 소아들의 요중 중금속 농도에 대한 참고치를 알아보기 위해 공단지역 초등학교 학생 348명(남자 182명, 여자 166명) 교외지역 초등학교 학생 100명(남자 50망 여자 50명)을 대상으로 본 연구를 시도하였다. 그 결과는 다음과같다. 1. 조사대상 초등학생들의 요중 비소, 카드뮴, 아연의 기하평균 농도는 각각 3.69, 0.99, $282.49{\mu}g/l$ 이었다. 2. 조사대상 초등학생들의 요중 크레아티닌량으로 보정한 요중 비소, 카드뮴, 아연의 기하평균 농도는 각각 3.92, 1.05, $299.92{\mu}g/g$ creatinine이었다. 3. 공단지역의 초등학생들의 요중 비소 및 카드뮴 농도는 교외지역 초등학교 학생들보다 통계적으로 유의하게 높았다 (p<0.0l). 이상의 결과로 볼 때 공단지역 초등학생은 교외지역 초등학생에 비해 비소, 카 드뮴 등 중금속 폭로량이 많은 것으로 사료되며 향후 공단지역 공장들에 대한 유해인자의 방출 억제 및 개선대책과 함께 공단지역 초등학교 주변의 중금속 등 환경 유해요인의 주기적 측정 등이 필요한 것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.471-480
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• 2021

Objectives: Cadmium is widely used, leading to extensive environmental and occupational exposure. Unlike other organs, for which the harmful and carcinogenic effects of cadmium have been established, the hepatotoxicity of cadmium remains unclear. Some studies detected correlations between cadmium exposure and hepatotoxicity, but others concluded that they were not associated. Thus, we investigated the relationship between cadmium and liver damage in the general population. Methods: In total, 11 838 adult participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2015 were included. Urinary cadmium levels and the following liver function parameters were measured: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TB), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between urinary cadmium concentrations and each liver function parameter after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, annual family income, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, physical activity, and body mass index. Results: The covariate-adjusted results of the linear regression analyses showed significant positive relationships between log-transformed urinary cadmium levels and each log-transformed liver function parameter, where beta±standard error of ALT, AST, GGT, TB, and ALP were 0.049±0.008 (p<0.001), 0.030±0.006 (p<0.001), 0.093±0.011 (p<0.001), 0.034±0.009 (p<0.001), and 0.040±0.005 (p<0.001), respectively. Logistic regression also revealed statistically significant results. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of elevated ALT, AST, GGT, TB, and ALP per unit increase in log-transformed urinary cadmium concentration were 1.360 (1.210 to 1.528), 1.307 (1.149 to 1.486), 1.520 (1.357 to 1.704), 1.201 (1.003 to 1.438), and 1.568 (1.277 to 1.926), respectively. Conclusions: Chronic exposure to cadmium showed positive associations with liver damage.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.87-94
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• 2019

Background: Lead (Pb) exposure in shooting ranges has been reduced by various measures such as jacketed ammunition and lead-free primers. Nevertheless, this may lead to exposure to other metals, potentially resulting in adverse health effects. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects from seven different shooting ranges were studied: four shooting instructors, 10 police officers, 15 Special Forces, and six maintenance staff members. Metals and metalloids were determined in blood and urine by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results: The concentrations of most elements did not differ significantly between groups or compared to reference values, except for Sb and Pt in urine and Pb in blood. Mean values for Sb were considerably higher in urine from the Special Forces ($0.34{\mu}g/L$), the maintenance staff ($0.13{\mu}g/L$), and shooting instructors ($0.32{\mu}g/L$) compared to the police officers before shooting ($0.06{\mu}g/L$) and a Belgian reference value ($0.04{\mu}g/L$). For Pt, the Special Forces showed higher mean urinary concentrations ($0.078{\mu}g/L$) compared to a Belgian reference value (<$0.061{\mu}g/L$). Mean values for blood lead were markedly higher in the Special Forces ($3.9{\mu}g/dL$), maintenance staff ($5.7{\mu}g/dL$), and instructors ($11.7{\mu}g/dL$) compared to police officers ($1.4{\mu}g/dL$). One instructor exceeded the biological exposure index for blood Pb ($38.8{\mu}g/dL$). Conclusion: Since both Pb and Sb were found to be higher in shooting range employees, especially among frequent shooters, it is advisable to provide appropriate protective equipment, education, and medical follow-up for shooting range personnel in addition to careful choice of ammunition.