1. Lead and cadmium excretion in feces and urine of children from polluted townships near a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia
- Author
-
John Yabe, Abel Nketani Kabalo, Mayumi Ishizuka, Hazuki Mizukawa, Yoshinori Ikenaka, Shouta M.M. Nakayama, Takashi Umemura, John Ntapisha, Nesta Bortey-Sam, and Yared B. Yohannes
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Environmental Engineering ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Excretion ,Zambia ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Urine ,Urinalysis ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Feces ,03 medical and health sciences ,Animal science ,Dry weight ,Biomonitoring ,Lead zinc ,Humans ,Environmental Chemistry ,Medicine ,Child ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Cadmium ,Home environment ,business.industry ,Body Weight ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Infant ,General Medicine ,General Chemistry ,Kabwe ,Pollution ,Heavy Metal Poisoning ,Children's health ,030104 developmental biology ,Lead ,chemistry ,Child, Preschool ,Environmental Pollutants ,Female ,business ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic metals that exist ubiquitously in the environment. Children in polluted areas are particularly vulnerable to metal exposure, where clinical signs and symptoms could be nonspecific. Absorbed metals are excreted primarily in urine and reflect exposure from all sources. We analyzed Pb and Cd concentrations in blood, feces and urine of children from polluted townships near a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia, to determine concurrent childhood exposure to the metals. Moreover, the study determined the Pb and Cd relationships among urine, feces and blood as well as accessed the potential of urine and fecal analysis for biomonitoring of Pb and Cd exposure in children. Fecal Pb (up to 2252 mg/kg, dry weight) and urine Pb (up to 2914 mu g/L) were extremely high. Concentrations of Cd in blood (Cd-B) of up to 7.7 mu g/L, fecal (up to 4.49 mg/kg, dry weight) and urine (up to 18.1 mu g/L) samples were elevated. metal levels were higher in younger children (0-3 years old) than older children (4-7). Positive correlations were recorded for Pb and Cd among blood, urine and fecal samples whereas negative correlations were recorded with age. These findings indicate children are exposed to both metals at their current home environment. Moreover, urine and feces could be useful for biomonitoring of metals due to their strong relationships with blood levels. There is need to conduct a clinical evaluation of the affected children to fully appreciate the health impact of these metal exposure. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
- Published
- 2018