Uranium in Drinking Water and Bladder Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Michigan.

ABSTRACT: Uranium is naturally occurring in groundwater used for drinking; however, health risks from naturally occurring concentrations are uncertain. Uranium can cause both radiological and chemical toxicity following ingestion. Bladder and kidneys receive a dose when uranium is excreted into the urine. Investigate the association between uranium in drinking water and bladder cancer risk in a case-control study. A population-based bladder cancer case-control study was conducted in 11 counties of southeastern Michigan. A total of 411 cases and 566 controls provided drinking water and toenail samples and answered questions about lifestyle and residential history. Uranium was measured in drinking water and toenails, and its association with bladder cancer was assessed via unconditional logistic regression models. Median uranium concentration in water was 0.12 µg L-1, with a maximum of 4.99 µg L-1, and median uranium concentration in toenails was 0.0031 µg g-1. In adjusted regression models, there was a suggestion of a protective effect among those exposed to the upper quartile of uranium in drinking water (HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.96) and toenails (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.45, 0.96) compared to those in the lowest quartile. Our objective is to investigate additional adjustment of drinking water source at home residence at time of recruitment to address potential selection bias and confounding attenuated results toward the null for drinking water uranium (HR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.44, 1.05) and toenail uranium (HR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.53, 1.20). This case-control study showed no increased risk of bladder cancer associated with uranium found in drinking water or toenails.

Levels of As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Se and Zn in bovine kidneys and livers in Jamaica.

Paired liver and kidney samples from 100 free-range cattle in different parts of Jamaica were analyzed for essential and non-essential trace elements. We found significant enrichment of elements in the kidney (K) compared to the liver (L) with the K/L concentration ratios being 5.2 for Cd, 4.1 for Pb, 3.5 for Se and 2.1 for As, but the Cu contents of the kidney were significantly higher with the K/L ratio of 0.45. A large number of kidney and liver samples showed Cu concentrations in the ranges that were associated with deficiency effects in mammals. About 15% of the hepatic samples had Zn concentrations below 20 microg/g, suggesting that there might be zinc insufficiency in some of the animals. Positive associations were found between the metals in both the kidney and liver. On average, the intake of Cd from consumption of both bovine kidney and liver from the island was estimated to be 5.2 microg/day, equivalent to about 7% of the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI), although anyone who habitually consumed the few kidneys or livers with >40 microg/g cadmium may be at some risk of exceeding the PTDI. The consumption of offal from local animals did not appear to be an important dietary source of any of the essential microelements.

Lead poisoning associated with malaria in children of urban areas of Nigeria.

The principal objectives of this study are to (a) investigate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) in children of three major cities of Nigeria with different levels of industrial pollution; (b) identify the environmental, social and behavioral risk factors for the EBLLs in the children; and (c) explore the association between malaria (endemic in the study areas) and EBLLs in the pediatric population. The study involved 653 children aged 2-9 years (average, 3.7 years). The mean blood lead level (BLL) for the children was 8.9+/-4.8microg/dL, the median value was 7.8microg/dL, and the range was 1-52microg/dL. About 25% of the children had BLL greater than 10microg/dL. There were important differences in BLLs across the three cities, with the average value in Ibadan (9.9+/-5.2microg/dL) and Nnewi (8.3+/-3.5microg/dL) being higher than that in Port Harcourt (4.7+/-2.2micro/dL). Significant positive associations were found between BLL and a child's town of residence (p<0.001), age of the child (p=0.004), length of time the child played outside (p<0.001), presence of pets in a child's home (p=0.023), but negatively with educational level of caregiver (p<0.001). This study is one of the first to find a significant negative association between BLL and malaria in a pediatric population, and this association remained significant after controlling for confounding diseases and symptoms. The shared environmental and socio-demographic risks factors for lead exposure and Plasmodium (most common malaria parasites) infection in urban areas of Nigeria are discussed along with possible ways that lead exposure may influence the host response to infection with malarial parasites.

Lead levels in blood and saliva in a low-income population of Detroit, Michigan.

The relationships between blood lead (PbB) and saliva lead (PbSa) concentrations and the determinants of PbB and PbSa status in 970 low-income adults in the city of Detroit, Michigan were explored. Average PbB and PbSa values in the sample population were found to be 2.7+/-0.1 microg/dl and 2.4+/-0.13 microg/l (equivalent to 0.24+/-0.13 microg/dl), respectively, and a weak but statistically significant association was found between the lead levels in the two types of body fluid samples. The average PbB level for men (4.0+/-0.56 microg/dl) was higher than that for women (2.7+/-0.11 microg/dl); other significant predictors of PbB included age, level of education, being employed, income level, the presence of peeling paint on the wall at home and smoking. There was no gender- or age-dependent difference in blood saliva values but statistically significant correlations were found between PbSa and level of education, employment, income level and smoking. Dental caries was severe in this population. Only 0.5% of the participants had no clinical signs of caries, over 80% had cavitated carious lesions (i.e., lesions that had progressed into dentin), and the number of lost teeth and carious lesions averaged 3.4 and 30, respectively. Weak but significant associations were found between PbB as well as PbSa and measures of dental caries in the study population. The positive associations are believed to be a reflection of the fact that the risk factors for dental caries, especially in low-income populations of the US, overlap extensively with those of lead poisoning and may not have a causal significance.

Profiles of trace elements in toenails of Arab-Americans in the Detroit area, Michigan.

Exposure to environmental contaminants is complicated by factors related to socioeconomic status, diet, and other culturally conditioned risk behaviors. Determination of a trace element profile in toenails can be used as a tool in biomonitoring the exposure history or assessing the deficiency of a particular element in a study population, which can lead to a better understanding of environmental and disease risks. Toenail clippings from 259 Arab Americans (163 adults, 96 children) residing in a highly industrialized area were analyzed for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Ba, Tl, and Pb using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. Mean concentrations were compared with published values, and the influence of age, gender, and other demographic factors were explored. Elevated levels of Ni in this population warrant further investigation. Significant differences in the mean concentration of Al, V, Cr, Mn, Cd, Pb, and Se exist between toenails of adults and children. Pearson correlation coefficients reveal strong significant associations among Cd, Cr, and Tl (p<0.05), in addition to other elements. These investigations provide insight into exposures and factors influencing exposures in this population while adding to the growing fund of knowledge surrounding use of toenails as a marker of exposure.

Low-level determination of six arsenic species in urine by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS).

Many methods that have been used to speciate arsenic metabolites in urine are unable to adequately resolve the chromatographic peaks for arsenite (As[iii]) and arsenobetaine (AsB). We present a High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) method that has been optimized to reliably measure the following six arsenic species in human urine: As[iii], arsenate (As[v]), monomethylarsonous acid (MMA[iii]), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA[v]), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA[v]) and AsB. The method was evaluated with regards to changes in mobile phase, accuracy and precision. The ability to quantify the six species in a given sample depended on the low detection limits of the method-0.06 µg L-1 for AsB, 0.11 µg L-1 for As[iii], 0.08 µg L-1 for DMA[v], 0.12 µg L-1 for MMA[v] and 0.15 µg L-1 for As[v]. The procedure was used to measure the six arsenic species in urine samples from 387 individuals in southeast Michigan who are chronically exposed to slightly elevated levels of arsenic in their drinking water. The DMA[v] was detected in 99.2% of samples, AsB in 98.2%, MMA[v] in 73.4%, As[iii] in 45.0%, and As[v] in 27.1%. No MMA[iii] was detected even in samples analyzed within 6 hours after collection. The results raise some doubt as to whether MMA[iii] is a significant metabolite in urine of people exposed to arsenic concentrations below 20 µg L-1 in their drinking water.

Reliability of spot urine samples in assessing arsenic exposure.

Urinary arsenic concentration is often used as a biomarker of arsenic exposure. First morning void (FMV) and spot urine samples from 131 participants in southeastern Michigan were analyzed using an HPLC-IC-PMS system for six different arsenic species: arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenite (As[III]), arsenate (As[V]), methylarsonous acid MMA[III], methylarsenic acid MMA[V], and dimethylarsenic DMA[V]. Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and Pearson correlation procedures were used to evaluate the relationship between the arsenic species in FMV and spot urine collections after normalizing the samples by specific gravity. DMA[III] and MMA[III] were not detected in any of the samples. The sum of As[III], As[V], MMA[V], and DMA[V] was designated SumAs. The ICC between SumAs in FMV and SumAs in spot samples was 0.90. The ICC showed that 90% of variation comes from between individuals and not within individuals. A significant correlation (r=0.80 p<0.001) was observed between FMV and spot samples for SumAs. The spot sample were a good predictor of the MMA[V] (r=0.83 p<0.0001), and DMA[V] (r=0.77 p<0.0001) in the FMV sample. These associations suggest that either FMV or spot samples can be used as an adequate bioindicator of arsenic metabolites in human urine. The benefit of using spot urine samples, instead of 24-h or FMV urine samples, is the potential reduction in budgetary and logistic requirements in epidemiological studies.

Determination of toxic and essential elements in children's blood with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Recent studies have suggested that low blood lead level, less than 50 microg L(-1), can influence the neurobehavioral performance of children. In addition, nutritional deficiencies in some essential elements may increase the toxicity of lead, and some essential elements may influence the blood concentrations of lead and other toxic metals. These findings, coupled with the scarcity of available data on some elements in children's blood and the introduction of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) to gasoline, accentuate the need to monitor the concentrations of lead, manganese, and other heavy metals and essential elements in children's blood. This study reports on the multi-element analysis of blood of South African school children using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The sample preparation consisted of a nitric acid/hydrogen peroxide open digestion and subsequent dilution with MilliQ water. The accuracy and precision were evaluated from quintuplet analyses of Seronorm trace elements whole blood reference material and human blood samples. Concentrations of lead, arsenic, manganese, copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt, and chromium in the blood of South African school children were determined. The average values were: lead 56.4 microg L(-1), arsenic 1.53 microg L(-1), manganese 8.48 microg L(-1), copper 1195 microg L(-1), zinc 3431 microg L(-1), selenium 176 microg L(-1), cobalt 0.80 microg L(-1), and chromium 1.25 microg L(-1). The level of lead was in line with some reported lower concentrations. The concentrations of arsenic and manganese were generally lower than those found in the literature. The concentrations of cobalt, copper, selenium, and chromium were higher than those found in other studies, whereas that of zinc was lower.

Determination of antimony in human blood with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

A method is presented for the determination of antimony in whole human blood samples with an ICP-MS instrument using a quadrupole mass analyzer. A nitric acid/hydrogen peroxide open digestion procedure was employed for the blood sample treatment and preparation for analysis. The precision and accuracy of the method were evaluated by analyzing several Seronorm trace elements whole blood reference materials. The precision of the method at various antimony levels was better than 4% RSD and the recovery was greater than 92% at all levels. The detection limit, calculated as three times the standard deviation of the blank (3sigma, n= 12), was 0.03 microg L(-1). The method was successfully applied for the determination of antimony in blood samples from school children in rural areas of Kwazulu/Natal, South Africa and adults from Dearborn, Michigan. Blood antimony levels ranged from <0.03 to 3.82 microg L(-1) in children and 1.40 to 4.35 microg L(-1) for adults.