We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Independent and combined associations of multiple heavy metal exposure with lung function: A population-based study in US children
Summary
This population-based study of over 1,200 US children found that combined exposure to 12 urinary metals significantly reduced lung function across all measured parameters, with lead identified as the largest individual contributor to respiratory harm.
Abstract Background: Previous research has found relationships between some single metals and lung function parameters. However, the role of simultaneous multi-metal exposure is poorly understood. The crucial period throughout childhood, when people are most susceptible to environmental dangers, has also been largely ignored. The study aimed to evaluate the joint and individual associations of 12 selected urinary metals with pediatric lung function measures using multipollutant approaches. Methods: A total of 1227 children aged 6–17 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database of the 2007–2012 cycles were used. The metal exposure indicators were 12 urine metals adjusted for urine creatinine, including Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), Cadmium (Cd), Caesium (Cs), Cobalt (Co), Mercury (Hg), Molybdenum (Mo), Lead (Pb), Antimony (Sb), Thallium (Tl), Tu (Tungsten), and Urtiam (Ur). The outcomes of interest were lung function indices including the 1st second of a forceful exhalation (FEV 1 ), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF 25–75% ), and peak expiratory flow (PEF). Multivariate linear regression, quantile g-computation (QG-C), and Bayesian kernel machine regression models (BKMR) were adopted. Results: A significantly negative overall effects of metal mixtures on all four lung function parameters were observed. Pb had the largest negative contribution to the negative associations, and Pb's relationship with lung function metrics showed to be nonlinear, with an approximate "L" shape. Potential interactions between Pb and Cd in lung function decline were observed. Whereas Ba was positively associated with lung function metrics. Conclusion: Metal mixtures were negatively associated with pediatric lung function. Pb might be crucial elements. Our findings highlight the need for prioritizing children’s environmental health to protect them from later respiratory disorders and to guide future research into the toxic mechanisms of metal-mediated lung function injury in the pediatric population.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Impact of Environmental Pollution on Children’s Lung Health
This review synthesized evidence that environmental pollutants—including air pollution, heavy metals, and microplastics—significantly harm children's health, with even low-level exposure impairing fetal development, neurodevelopment, and respiratory function in young children.
Effects of combined exposure to heavy metals on lower respiratory flora and its role of lung injury in rats
Researchers found that combined exposure to nickel, copper, and arsenic disrupted the natural microbial communities in the lower respiratory tract of rats and caused lung damage. The heavy metal mixture altered the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in the airways, which was linked to impaired lung function. The findings highlight how environmental exposure to multiple metals simultaneously may harm respiratory health by disrupting the lung's natural microbiome.
Deposition of microplastics associated with bioaccumulation of heavy metals in human lungs of smokers: Implications of adsorption and mobilization of metals via microplastics
Researchers compared lung tissue from smokers and non-smokers and found that smokers accumulated more microplastics alongside elevated levels of heavy metals in lung tissue, suggesting that tobacco smoke enhances chelation of heavy metals to airborne microplastics, increasing lung bioaccumulation.
Co-Exposure of airborne microplastics and chromium: Impairment of pulmonary surfactant monolayer
Researchers investigated what happens when airborne polypropylene microplastics carrying chromium reach the lungs and interact with pulmonary surfactant, the protective lining that helps us breathe. They found that the microplastics disrupted the surfactant layer's ability to function properly, and that chromium was partially released and chemically reduced upon contact. The study suggests that inhaling microplastics contaminated with heavy metals may pose compounding risks to lung health.
Potential toxic metals in household dusts extracted in simulated body fluids and their interaction with culturable pathogens responses
Researchers investigated bioaccessible toxic metals in household dusts by extracting them in simulated lung and gastrointestinal fluids, then examined how these bio-relevant metal fractions affect culturable bacterial pathogens, finding that inhalable metal fractions pose distinct health risks and alter microbial behavior compared to total metal concentrations alone.