Bone Manganese as a Biomarker for Early Diagnosis of Manganese Neurotoxicity in Occupationally Exposed Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nie LH ; Wells EM ; Zheng W
• Description:
  Occupational exposure to manganese (Mn) occurs among workers involved in welding, smelting, mining, and battery production. In the US alone, millions of workers, including over 300,000 welders, are at high risk of excessive Mn exposure. Mn exposure is associated with many types of diseases, and the most concerned is neurological disorders. In its final stage, Mn toxicity manifests as a neurological disorder termed manganism, which closely resembles Parkinson's disease. The symptoms of chronic Mn toxicity, once established, become progressive and irreversible. Hence, a biomarker for the assessment of cumulative Mn exposure and early diagnosis of Mn neurotoxicity is crucial. In this project, a potential valuable biomarker for long term cumulative Mn exposure was tested among a well-established workers population with a known history of Mn exposure. This biomarker involves measuring Mn in human bone in vivo. This technology has been developed and validated in the PI's laboratory for the past seven years. In this study, we recruited 30 workers from ferroalloy factory and 30 workers from manufacturing factory, performed noninvasive bone manganese (BnMn) measurement on these subjects, estimated cumulative exposure index (CEI) of Mn using an existing exposure model, and established the relationship between BnMn and estimated cumulative Mn exposure. We also conducted neurocognitive and neurobehavioral tests on the recruited subjects and determined the relationship between BnMn concentrations and neurological test scores among this population. The results show that BnMn is significantly higher in workers from ferroalloy factory than that in workers from manufacturing factory. We found that there is a significant correlation between BnMn and years of employment as well as 15 years of cumulative Mn exposure index. For the association between BnMn and neurological effects, we found BnMn was significantly associated with decreased cognitive function and decreased motor function. We concluded that BnMn can be used as a good biomarker for cumulative Mn exposure and Mn exposure induced neurological effects. The use of a new biomarker to understand the neurotoxic effects of exposure to Mn is critical to millions of workers who have been exposed to Mn for two reasons. First, neurological disorder is one of the main health issues for these workers; second, neurological impairment reduces the workers' productivity and is a major cause for work related injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Biomarkers Environmental Exposure Hazardous Substances Manganese Metals Metal Workers Mining Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Welding Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Battery Manufacturing Industry Bone Structure Cognitive Function Diseases Exposure Levels Neurological Diseases Neurological Disorders Neurotoxicity Risk Factors Smelting Toxic Effects Toxins Work Environment Workers

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-30
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050909
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2018-100633
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-010700, 2017 Nov; :1-30
• Contact Point Address:
  Linda H. Nie, School of Health Sciences, Purdue University; 550 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47906
• Email:
  hnie@purdue.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20170831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:aa55619454aa3c1b4e09a63d0722a6da222eb712fac4ad75e8cad83c6f1492074750d0a8901582a55e715811a5f2decfccac8c1ce62c6a6d80ea34f513a662de
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218676/cdc_218676_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 784.80 KB ]