Associations of a Toenail Metal Mixture with Attention and Memory in the Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up (GuLF) Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Buckley JP ; Dickerson AS ; Engel LS ; Jackson WB II ; Kuiper JR ; Lawrence KG ; Lin JJY ; Rohlman DS ; Rule AM ; Sandler DP ; Volk HE
• Description:
  Background: Research on metal-associated neurodegeneration has largely focused on single metals. Since metal exposures typically co-occur as combinations of both toxic and essential elements, a mixtures framework is important for identifying risk and protective factors. This study examined associations between toenail levels of an eight-metal mixture and attention and memory in men living in US Gulf states. Methods: We measured toenail concentrations of toxic (arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury) and essential (copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc) metals in 413 non-smoking men (23-69 years, 46 % Black) from the Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up (GuLF) Study. Sustained attention and working memory were assessed at the time of toenail sample collection using the continuous performance test (CPT) and digit span test (DST), respectively. Associations between toenail metal concentrations and performance on neurobehavioral tests were characterized using co-pollutant adjusted general linear models and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression. Results: Adjusting for other metals, one interquartile range (IQR) increase in toenail chromium was associated with a 0.19 (95 % CI: -0.31, -0.07) point reduction in CPT D Prime score (poorer ability to discriminate test signals from noise). One IQR increase in toenail manganese was associated with a 0.20 (95 % CI, -0.41, 0.01) point reduction on the DST Reverse Count (fewer numbers recalled). Attention deficits were greater among Black participants compared to White participants for the same increase in toenail chromium concentrations. No evidence of synergistic interaction between metals or adverse effect of the overall metal mixture was observed for either outcome. Conclusions: Our findings support existing studies of manganese-related memory deficits and are some of the first to show chromium related attention deficits in adults. Longitudinal study of cognitive decline is needed to verify chromium findings. Research into social and chemical co-exposures is also needed to explain racial differences in metal-associated neurobehavioral deficits observed in this study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Biomarkers Environmental Exposure Metals Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Metals Cognitive Function Environmental Exposure Mixed Exposures Mixtures Neurobehavioral Outcomes Neurological Reactions Toenail Biomarker
• ISSN:
  0048-9697
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Iowa ; Maryland ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  935
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069767
• Citation:
  Sci Total Environ 2024 Jul; 935:173387
• Contact Point Address:
  Joyce J.Y. Lin, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, E6628, USA
• Email:
  Jlin103@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Science of the Total Environment
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78906f2da10c04325ce920b13e2baff4aca3f236cfdce89a65c0b262f2cb7f3ba374f8a948c4878c2e34a302f3872f88d62c49b17342cafbb1918e659e281ef2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208124/cdc_208124_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.96 MB ]