Urinary concentrations of metals before and after volcanic eruption: a natural experiment surrounding the eruption of Volcán de Fuego, 2018

Volcanic eruptions increase environmental heavy metal concentrations, yet little research has been performed on their extrapulmonary human health effects. We fortuitously collected biological samples in a cohort of Guatemalan sugarcane cutters in the area surrounding Volcán de Fuego before and after the June 2018 eruption. We sought to determine whether stratovolcanic activity was associated with changes in urinary concentrations of heavy metals in a cohort of sugarcane workers. In this exploratory analysis, we found significant increases in urinary arsenic, (β = 1.46, P < 0.0001), cadmium (β = 1.03, P < 0.0001), and lead (β = 0.87, P = 0.003) in participants with residential proximity to Volcán de Fuego as compared to participants farther away, suggesting that volcanic activity could be associated with acute heavy metal exposures. This natural experiment is, to our knowledge, the first of its kind and suggests a need for more research into heavy metal exposure-related health impacts of volcanic eruptions.

[Impact of informal e-waste recycling on human health]

Increasing e-waste has become a major problem for global environment and public health. In the process of dismantling and recycling of disordered electronic waste, heavy metals such as lead and brominated flame retardants and organic substances are released into environmental media such as air, soil, dust and water, which is harmful to the health of local residents. Taking an e-waste dismantling area in Guangdong Province as an example, this paper reviews exposure levels of heavy metals and organic matters in e-waste recycling areas in China, as well as the health effects of local residents. Previous studies have found that e-waste recycling activities led to serious environmental pollution and high exposure levels of heavy metals and organic matters in local residents, which has a certain impact on the physiological functions of various human systems. The establishment of a centralized dismantling zone can effectively reduce the load level of various pollutants.

[Children's non-carcinogenic health risk assessment of heavy metals exposure to residential indoor dust around an e-waste dismantling area in South China]

Objective: To evaluate the non-carcinogenic health risk of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) in residential indoor dust for young children around an e-waste dismantling area in South China. Methods: A village around an e-waste dismantling area in South China was selected as a research site in October 2016. Convenience sampling method was used to select 36 houses in the village and 36 dust samples were collected by vacuum cleaner. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) in each sample were determined and expressed by the average value. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment was conducted using the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Health Risk Assessment (HRA) model, the American Toxicology and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Target-organ Toxicity Dose (TTD) approach and the ATSDR Binary Weight-of-Evidence (BINWOE) model. Results: The mean ± SD of concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn were (48.90±33.91), (5.95±3.89), (173.57±580.37), (412.71±1 190.00), (612.82±540.70), (297.41±293.22) and (1 052.81±1 156.48) mg/kg, respectively. The HI value of TTD (2.670) and BINWOE (2.933) were higher than the safety threshold of EPA recommended non-carcinogenic health risk. The HI value of TTD and BINWOE were 1.93 and 2.12 times higher than the HI value of HRA (1.386). Conclusion: There was non-carcinogenic health risk of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) via residential indoor dust around the e-waste dismantling area for local children.

Tobacco influence in heavy metals levels in head and neck cancer cases

Heavy metals intoxication is known to be risk factors for various diseases, including cancer. These metals may be presented in food and soil as well as in leaf and tobacco smoke. The aim of this study was to correlate the exposure to heavy metals stemming from tobacco and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma carcinogenesis. Analysis of lead, copper, manganese, arsenic, chromium, and cadmium by atomic absorption spectrophotometry was performed in whole blood samples from 91 patients: 68 smokers with oral cavity, pharynx, or laryngeal cancer; 8 non-smokers with oral or larynx cancer; and 15 non-cancer smokers with tobacco-related diseases (control group). No differences were found in metals quantifications, except a significant difference was observed (p = 0.0223) with higher mean in copper levels for non-smokers with cancer. The present study concluded, for the groups evaluated, it was not possible to prove the relationship between the studied metals in the development of the neoplasm. On the other hand, the results of copper demonstrated a correlation with smokers with cancer and lower levels of circulating copper.