Metal compounds in our environment and their implications on human health (original) (raw)

Editorial Recent updates on metal compounds in our environment and their implications on human health Dietrich Büsselberg Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar Foundation – Education City, POB 24144, Doha, Qatar email: dib2015@qatar-med.cornell.edu All living organisms (including humans) depend on an intact environment. Contamination will a!ect air, soil and water (and the food produced) not only locally but also worldwide. The QScience Collection, entitled ‘Metal compounds in our environment and their implications on human health’ highlights recent open access publications that illustrate the current reflection of these issues. The articles highlight how some local events might impact the health even at the other side of the globe. Csavina and co-workers (2013)1 recapitulate how metal particles (lead, arsenic and cadmium) in the dust, which are generated by local mining operations, travel around the world. They also review the transport media (soil, biota, water and air) and how the particle diameter influences the distribution of such particles worldwide. The sources of lead exposure (e.g. air, water, food, medication) for the population in Iran are analyzed by Karrari and co-workers (2012)2 . Their overview also defines the impact of pre- and postnatal exposure and the special situation in children. It emphasizes some general guidelines to reduce the lead exposure and to improve the situation. Spatial (di!erent regions of Korea) and temporal changes (over several years) of the pollution of nine heavy metals were analyzed by Kwon and colleagues (2014)3 . They found that the composition of the contamination was closely related to specific industries and the changes over time did directly reflect changes in regulations and laws. Metal pollution whether it is in soil, water or air will be taken up by plants and animals and therefore will become part of our daily food (and might even become more concentrated at the end of the foodchain). A study in Iran (Isfahan) looked at the content of metals in vegetables and found that the amount of several heavy metals (cadmium, chromium and lead) in some areas was above the recommended levels by the WHO4 . As risk assessment of meal pollution in cultured and wild fish species in Egypt was published by Omar and co-workers5 . Some of the fish organs showed a high metal contend and some histo-pathological alterations were found in some of the fish organs, which were raised in polluted water. As these fishes are grown for human consumption the authors conclude that this is an “alarming concern for customer health”. That indeed some fishes are highly sensitive to metal pollution was underlined by the results of Wang and his research team6 . They found that especially the respiratory activity of a specific fish (rare minnow) was impaired at low metal concentrations in the water. They suggest utilizing these fishes as a “sensor” for heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems. Physicians are not always aware of the symptoms and treatment of metal toxicity. This fact is highlighted by Orisakwe7 , who analyzed the health care situation in Nigeria. Therefore, in the author’s conclusion they request “the recognition and inclusion of heavy metal assays in the diagnosis of metabolic disorders…”. A statement that physicians clearly should follow worldwide! 2 Ed. Dietrich Büsselberg Büsselberg Not only our food and drinks might be contaminated with heavy metals but also our medicine. Two case reports from the United States of America describe lead poisoning after the use of Ayurvedic medicine(8,9). A similar case report from India associates the use of Ayurvedic medicine with renal failure due to mercury contamination of the medicine10. More specific health impairments related to heavy metals exposure are analyzed in the following publications. The report by Kin and co-workers11 discusses the questions whether the blood brain barrier loses its integrity in heavy metal associated stroke. The authors reviewed and analyzed the evidence for several metals (lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic). As the facts are not fully understood the authors conclude that the “blood brain barrier alternation by heavy metal exposure needs to be further revisited to understand the mechanism of heavy metal-associated ischemic stroke”. An article by Azevedo and colleagues12 summarizes the toxic e!ects of mercury on the cardiovascular system and the nervous system. Reviewing the facts presented in the current literature they summarize that – even at very low concentrations – the cardiovascular- and the nervous-system are impaired by mercury exposure and suggest that the “reference values defining the limits for the absence of danger should be reduced”. A study conducted in Mexico by Moran-Martinez and colleagues13 links chronic environmental lead exposure of men who lived in close vicinity of a lead smelter to the semen quality. Not only the blood lead levels were elevated tin those men but also concentration, motility and viability of their semen were significantly reduced. In addition, the morphology of the sperm cells was found to be altered by the environmental exposure to lead. Overall, the current literature indicates local environmental contamination with metals could a!ect soil, water and air worldwide. Furthermore, metals are taken up by living organisms and might get concentrated in the food chain. Worldwide trading with food items will a!ect regions which have do not have any contamination locally. It is a fact that exposure – even to very low concentrations – to metals could result in very serious health problems. To protect our soil, water and air, as well as our food resources, local and global measurements have to be taken to release less metals in the environment. References: 1. Csavina J, Field J, Taylor M et al. A review on the importance of metals and metalloids in atmospheric dust and aerosol from mining operations. Science of The Total Environment. 2012;433:58–73. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.06.013. 2. Karrari P, Mehrpour O, Abdollahi M. A systematic review on status of lead pollution and toxicity in Iran; Guidance for preventive measures. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2012;20(1):2. doi:10.1186/1560–8115–20–2. (Featured in QScience Collection) 3. Kwon Y, Bae M, Park Y. Changes of Heavy Metals in Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) in Korea. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2014;11(3):2381–2394. doi:10.3390/ijerph110302381. (Featured in QScience Collection) 4. Jafarian-Dehkordi A., Alehashem M. Heavy metal contamination of vegetables in Isfahan, Iran. Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2015. 5. Omar W, Zaghloul K, Abdel-Khalek A, Abo-Hegab S. Risk Assessment and Toxic E!ects of Metal Pollution in Two Cultured and Wild Fish Species from Highly Degraded Aquatic Habitats. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2013;65(4):753–764. doi:10.1007/s00244–013–9935-z. (Featured in QScience Collection) 6. Wang H, Liang Y, Li S, Chang J. Acute Toxicity, Respiratory Reaction, and Sensitivity of Three Cyprinid Fish Species Caused by Exposure to Four Heavy Metals. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(6):e65282. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065282. (Featured in QScience Collection) 7. Orisakwe O. Lead and cadmium in public health in Nigeria: physicians neglect and pitfall in patient management. North American Journal of Medical Sciences. 2014;6(2):61. doi:10.4103/1947– 2714.127740. 3 Recent updates on metal compounds in our environment and their implications on human health QScience Collections: Metal compounds in our environment and their implications on human health 8. Pierce J, Estrada C, Mathews R. Buyers Beware: Lead Poisoning due to Ayurvedic Medicine. J GEN INTERN MED. 2012;27(10):1384–1386. doi:10.1007/s11606–012–2048-y. 9. Breeher L, Gerr F, Fuortes L. A case report of adult lead toxicity following use of Ayurvedic herbal medication. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. 2013;8(1):26. doi:10.1186/1745– 6673–8-26. (Featured in QScience Collection) 10. Ali U, Ohri A, Sathe K. Acute renal failure secondary to ingestion of ayurvedic medicine containing mercury. Indian J Nephrol. 2013;23(4):301. doi:10.4103/0971–4065.114485. 11. Kim J, Byun H, Chung E, Chung H, Bae O. Toxicological Research. 2013;29(3):157–164. doi:10.5487/tr.2013.29.3.157. 12. Fernandes Azevedo, B., Barros Furieri, L., Peçanha, F. M., Wiggers, G. A., Frizera Vassallo, P., Ronacher Simões, M., Fiorim, J., Rossi De Batista, P., Fioresi, M., Rossoni, L., Stefanon, I., Alonso, M. J., Salaices, M. And Valentim Vassallo. Toxic E!ects of Mercury on the Cardiovascular and Central Nervous Systems. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. 2012;2012:1–11. doi:10.1155/2012/949048. (Featured in QScience Collection) 13. Morán-Martínez J, Carranza-Rosales P, Morales-Vallarta M, Heredia-Rojas J, Bassol-Mayagoitia S, Denys Betancourt-Martínez N, Cerda-Flores R. Chronic environmental exposure to lead a!ects semen quality in a Mexican men population. Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine. 2013;11(4):267. (Featured in QScience Collection)