Impact of Lead Exposure on Thyroid Status and IQ Performance among School-age Children Living Nearby a Lead-Zinc Mine in China

Prenatal exposure to ambient PM2.5 and its chemical constituents and child intelligence quotient at 6 years of age

There are limited studies on the associations between prenatal exposure to constituents of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and children's intelligence quotient (IQ). Our study aimed to explore the associations between prenatal PM_2.5 and its six constituents and the IQ levels of 6-year-old children. We included 512 mother-child pairs. We used a satellite-based modelling framework to estimate prenatal PM_2.5 and its six constituents (ammonium, sulfate, nitrate, organic carbon, soil dust, and black carbon). We assessed the children's IQ using the short form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), and Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores were computed. The multiple informant model (MIM) was applied to explore the trimester specific effects of PM_2.5 and its six constituents' exposure on children's PRI, VCI, and FSIQ. To examine whether the duration of breastfeeding and physical activity (PA) could modify the effects of PM_2.5 on children's IQ, we stratified the analyses according to the duration of breastfeeding (≤6 and >6 months) and time of outdoor activities after school (≤2 and >2 h/week). The first trimester PM_2.5 and its five constituents' exposures were inversely associated with FSIQ [β = -1.34, 95 % confidence interval [CI] (-2.71, 0.04) for PM_2.5] and PRI [β = -2.18, 95 %CI (-3.80, -0.57) for PM_2.5] in children. The associations were magnified among boys and those with less outdoor activities or shorter breastfeeding duration. Our results indicate that prenatal PM_2.5 and several of its main constituents' exposure may disrupt cognitive development in children aged 6 years. More PA and longer breastfeeding duration may alleviate the detrimental effects of prenatal PM_2.5 exposure on children's cognitive function.

Sodium Para-Aminosalicylic Acid Modulates Autophagy to Lessen Lead-Induced Neurodegeneration in Rat Cortex

Lead (Pb) is a common heavy metal contaminant in the environment, and it may perturb autophagy and cause neurodegeneration. Although sodium para-aminosalicylic (PAS-Na) has been shown to protect the brain from lead-induced toxicity, the mechanisms associated with its efficacy have yet to be fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of PAS-Na in attenuating the neurotoxic effects of lead, as well as the specific mechanisms that mediate such protection. Lead exposure resulted in weight loss and injury to the liver and kidney, and PAS-Na had a protective effect against this damage. Both short-term and subchronic lead exposure impaired learning ability, and this effect was reversed by PAS-Na intervention. Lead exposure also perturbed autophagic processes through the modulation of autophagy-related factors. Short-term lead exposure downregulated LC3 and beclin1 and upregulated the expression of p62; subchronic lead exposure upregulated the expression of LC3, beclin1, and P62. It follows that PAS-Na had an antagonistic effect on the activation of the above autophagy-related factors. Overall, our novel findings suggest that PAS-Na can protect the rat cortex from lead-induced toxicity by regulating autophagic processes. (1) Short-term lead exposure inhibits autophagy, whereas subchronic lead exposure promotes autophagy. (2) PAS-NA ameliorated the abnormal process of lead-induced autophagy, which had a protective effect on the cerebral cortex.

High lead level in the Alps in XIXth century, learning from the analysis of 138 historical hair stands

Analysis of hair is known to provide useful information about environmental and toxic exposures. Very little historical use has been made of this type of investigation. Here we study 138 human hair samples from 19th century in France. In order to examine the potential association between contamination and historical health impacts, we characterized contamination by 33 elements in a set of hair strands sampled during the last quarter of the 19th century in the Savoy region of France. After a selected washing step on 138 hair strands conserved at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris (France), we assessed the presence of inorganics by ICP/MS, and lead level was higher than values reported in literature. We then compared concentrations and distributions between women and men, sampling locations and crossing gender and geographical origin. Hair lead level was high throughout Savoy at the end of the 19th century: significantly higher for people living in towns or industrial valleys, and lower for those of countryside and mountains areas. Environmental and economic changes (industrialization and urbanization with water adduction and leaded paints), living habits (kitchenware, cosmetics, wine, and tobacco), and local features (mines exploitation, railroad development, and industrialized narrow valleys) could be envisaged for explaining the level of lead contamination. In the same period, the two main industrial valleys of Savoy (Maurienne and Tarentaise) had high rates of endemic goiter and cretinism and among the highest hair lead levels. Other lines of evidence will need to be explore to investigate a possible link between historical Pb exposure and goiter in the study area.