• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2012

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between proximity to an industrial complex and blood lead levels and urinary cadmium levels. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey and analyzed blood lead and urinary cadmium levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAs). Data was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. All statistical analyses were conducted with SAS software version 9.2. The distance between the residence and an industrial complex was calculated through a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results: A total of 967 residents living near a large petrochemical complex in Ulsan participated. The geometric mean levels of blood lead and urinary cadmium were $1.70{\mu}g/dl$ (male: $1.77{\mu}g/dl$, female: $1.67{\mu}g/dl$), and $0.72{\mu}g/g$ creatinine (male: $0.49{\mu}g/g$ cr. female: $0.89{\mu}g/g$ cr.), respectively. Blood lead and urinary cadmium levels both increased with age and were higher among smokers compared to never smokers. Both significantly showed a decreasing trend with rising income. Results from multiple logistic regression analysis showed that urinary cadmium levels for subjects aged less than 20 years old were negatively associated with distance from the industrial area to the residence. The results, however, indicated that the blood lead levels were positively associated with the distance. Conclusions: The results of this study support that proximity to an industrial complex is related to urinary cadmium values for children. A positive finding with blood lead can be explained by the ambiguity of lead exposure sources in the general environment.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2013

Children are particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects associated with heavy metal exposure. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between proximity to an industry complex and blood lead and urinary cadmium levels for children aged 7-13 who lived in Ulsan where a big petrochemical complex is located. We conducted a questionnaire survey to collect data including sociodemographics, daily habits, residential environment, etc. We also analyzed blood lead and urinary cadmium levels using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Data were analyzed using regression analysis. All statistical analyses were conducted with SAS software version 9.2. We calculated distance by using a Geographic Information System (ArcGIS version 10.0). The geometric mean blood lead level was 1.55 ${\mu}g/dL$ (boys: 1.59 ${\mu}g/dL$, girls: 1.51 ${\mu}g/dL$), and the geometric mean urinary cadmium level was 0.51 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine (boys: 0.45 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine, girls: 0.58 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine). In the results of regression analyses, we found that urinary cadmium levels significantly decreased as distance between residence and industrial complex increased after adjusting for age, gender, income, passive smoking and the length of residence. This result was opposite to that for lead levels. Our observations support the hypothesis that urinary cadmium levels in children are related to their proximity to an industrial complex.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

Objectives. We conducted this study to obtain basic data of urinary levels of arsenic, cadmium, and zinc in children of Ulsan industrial area and to evaluate the difference in urinary levels of these metals between industrial area and suburban area. Methods. The study subjects were composed of 348(male 182, female 166) school children residing in industrial area and 100(male 50, female 50) school children of suburban area. We analyzed urinary levels of arsenic, cadmium, and zinc using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results. The geometric means of urinary level of arsenic, cadmium, and zinc of study participants were 3.69, 0.99, $282.49{\mu}g/l$ respectively. The adjusted geometric means of urinary levels of arsenic, cadmium, and zinc of study participants were 3.92, 1.05, $299.92{\mu}g/g$ creatinine respectively. Conclusions. The children residing in industrial area had the higher urinary levels of arsenic and cadmium than suburban children with statistical significance(p<0.01).

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.461-471
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• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary protein and cysteine levels on cadmium toxicity in rats. Seventy-two male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain weighting 171$\pm$3g were blocked into 12 groups according to body weight, and were raised for 30 days. cadmium chloride was given at levels of 0 or 400ppm, protein at levels of 7, 15 and 40%, and cysteine was added(total dietary cysteine contents : 0.45%) to diet or not. The results are summarized as follow. Food intake, weight gain, food were lower than those of cadmium free group. But, these were increased with increasing dietary protein level and cysteine addition. Fecal cadmium excretion was remarkably increased in high protein (40%) groups. Thus, cadmium retention rates were decreased in high protein groups. Metallothionein concentrations in liver and kidney were increased in cysteine addition, and cadmium administration. Especially, these were remarkably increased in cadmium and cysteine added groups. Urinary calcium excretion was increased with cadmium administration, but urinary protein excretion and creatinine clearance were not changed in these animal. In conclusion, food intake, weight gain and organ weights were decreased with administration. Cadmium toxicity was alleviated by increasing fecal cadmium excretion, while cysteine addition increased metallothionein concentrations in liver and kidney. From these results, it was shown that cadmium toxicity was alliviated by synergistic effect of high protein level and cysteine addition.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2003

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of chlorella diet supplementation. Blood accumulation and urine excretion levels were measured after the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed on a chlorella diet supplementation mixed with 40 ppm of CdCl$_2$. Four groups tested for blood accumulation and urine excretion levels. All four groups fed on a basic diet with a cadmium mixture. The diet for the first group contained only basic diet and the cadmium added to the drinking water. The diet for the three other groups contained cadmium to the drinking water, and 1%, 5% and 10% of chlorella added to the basic diet. A concentration of cadmium for the first group showed a 3.2$\pm$0.4 $\mu\textrm{g}$/I blood accumulation level and 41.5$\pm$32.9 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l urinary excretion level, and the second group, which was fed on the basic diet with 1% of chlorella added and cadmium to the drinking water showed a $1.5\pm$0.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l blood level and only l4.l$\pm$1.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l urinary excretion level. The other two groups, which were fed on 5% and 10% of chlorella concentration and cadmium to the drinking water did not exhibit any notable effects greater than the group fed on 1% concentration of chlorella. The results suggest that the blood accumulation and urinary excretion of Cadmium are influenced by the chlorella diet supplementation from the concentration of 1% of the basic diet.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.6
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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.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.2
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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.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2017

This study was performed to investigate the dose-response relationship between average daily cadmium dose (ADCD) from rice and the occurrence of urinary cadmium (U-Cd) in individuals eating that rice. This was a retrospective cohort designed to compare populations from two areas with different levels of cadmium contamination. Five-hundred and sixty-seven participants aged 18 years or older were interviewed to estimate their rice intake, and were assessed for U-Cd. The sources of consumed rice were sampled for cadmium measurement, from which the ADCD was estimated. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between ADCD and U-Cd (cut-off point at $2{\mu}g/g$ creatinine), and a correlation between them was established. The lowest estimate was $ADCD=0.5{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$ [odds ratio (OR) = 1.71; with a 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-2.87]. For comparison, the relationship in the contaminated area is expressed by $ADCD=0.7{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$, OR = 1.84; [95 % CI, 1.06-3.19], while no relationship was found in the non-contaminated area, meaning that the highest level at which this relationship does not exist is $ADCD=0.6{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$ [95% CI, 0.99-2.95]. Rice, as a main staple food, is the most likely source of dietary cadmium. Abstaining from or limiting rice consumption, therefore, will increase the likelihood of maintaining U-Cd within the normal range. As the recommended maximum ADCD is not to exceed $0.6{\mu}g/kg\;bw/day$, the consumption of rice grown in cadmium-contaminated areas should not be more than 246.8 g/day. However, the exclusion of many edible plants grown in the contaminated area from the analysis might result in an estimated ADCD that does not reflect the true level of cadmium exposure among local people.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.410-420
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• 1988

This study were performed to investigate effect of dietary cadmium(Cd) and protein levels on growth, body protein metabolism and Cd toxicity in growing rats. Forty eight male rats of Sprague-Dawley weighing 113$\pm$2g were blocked into 6 groups accoridng to body weight. Dietary protein were given at the levels of 7, 15 and 40% of diet and Cd (200ppm)were either added or not. The result obtained were summerized as follow; 1) Food intake, weight gain, FER PER, liver and kidney weight, weight and length of bones, hematocrit, and hemoglobin content in Cd-added groups were low than those in Cd-free groups. 2) Serum total protein showed no significant difference with Cd addition, but it was significantly lower in low protein diet groups. Liver protein in Cd-added groups was lower than Cd-free groups, and was tend to be increased with increasing dietary protein level. 3) Daily urinary and fecal nitrogen excretions in Cd-added groups were lower than Cd-free groups, and were increased with increasing dietary protein level. 4) Cadmium contents in blood, liver, kidney, and femur were tend to be decreased with increasing dietary protein level. Especially, Cd content in kidney of Cd-added groups was significantly decreased with increasing dietary protein level. 5) Daily urinary and fecal Cd excretions were tend to be increased with increasing dietary protein level, and Cd-added-high protein diet group showed the highest Cd excretion among the Cd-added groups, Cd absorption ration and Cd retention ratio were tend to be decreased with increasing dietary protein level.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.396-408
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• 2016

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to determine the relationship between the prevalence of allergic diseases and urinary cadmium concentration among children from six to 12 years of age, and to evaluate the association between cadmium in urine and other immunologically related factors in two elementary schools with different environmental conditions. Methods: Data on physician-diagnosed prevalence over the past 12 months and potential risk factors for allergic disease were collected from survey results drawn from 236 children living in different regions (central urban vs. suburban) from April to July in 2014 by an ISAAC questionnaire. We analyzed cytokine levels in serum through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and urinary cadmium concentration by use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results: Concentrations of urinary cadmium in suburban and central urban children were $0.11{\pm}0.11ug/L$, $0.14{\pm}0.17ug/L$, respectively (p>0.05). Results from the analysis of the t-test and chi-square test showed that urinary cadmium levels were positively associated with environmental factors (paternal smoking status, passive smoking, traffic volume and experiences of outdoor odors) and individual genetic factors (parental allergic disease). Cadmium concentrations in urine were also positively associated with the prevalence of allergic disease and immune-related cytokines (eosinophils, IgE, IL-5, IL-33, IL-17). Conclusion: This study suggests that genetic factors (parental history of allergic diseases), environmental factors, and regional status (suburban and central urban) should be considered as probable factors increasing the concentration of urinary cadmium, which has the potential to influence the allergic disease prevalence of school-age children.