Longitudinal Nephrotoxic Metal Exposure in a Cohort of Farm Workers in Sonora, Mexico

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Wagoner, Rietta S. ; Lopez-Galvez, Nicolas I. ; Canales, Robert A. ; Farland, Leslie V. ; von Hippel, Frank A. ; de Zapien, Jill G. ; Rosales, Cecilia B. ; Beamer, Paloma I. ; Furlong, Melissa A.
• Description:
  Objective: Metal exposure among farmworkers along the US-Mexico border is understudied, despite links between certain metals and kidney injury or disease. We assessed seasonal metal exposure in agricultural workers in Sonora, Mexico, compared to office workers and other populations. Methods: Adult male agricultural and office workers provided urine samples and demographic data at the start and end of the work season. Urine was analyzed for specific gravity, creatinine, and metal(loid) concentrations. Results: Agricultural workers had significantly higher urinary arsenic, lead, nickel, and uranium than office workers. Uranium increased over time, whereas arsenic, lead, and nickel declined. Urinary metal levels exceeded those in NHANES Mexican Americans, with cadmium levels similar to other farmworker populations but higher arsenic and uranium. Conclusions: Findings enhance understanding of regional exposure, support global farmworker comparisons, and inform exposure modeling, mitigation strategies, and policy.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Kidney Metals, Heavy Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Agricultural Worker; Farm Worker; Mexico; Toxic Metal Exposure; Toxic Metal(loid) Exposure; Heavy Metals Farm Workers; Seasonal Factors; Longitudinal Study; Cohort Studies; Agricultural Workers; Heavy Metals; Kidney Damage; Metalloids; Exposure Assessment;
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med 2025 Dec; 67(12):1005-1013
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Arizona ; Washington ; District of Columbia ; San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  9 pdf pages
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071215
• Contact Point Address:
  Rietta S. Wagoner, PhD, Department of Community, Environment, and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1656 E Mabel, Medical Research Bldg 130, PO Box 245215, Tucson, AZ 85724
• Email:
  rwagoner@arizona.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:85937ca37589ac0c9a62318b6e082b753ae234a19a78c451f99b8abc16dc7ad795dddb0870925f86f4a5204eb7677de58ced8e36dbc8ca496029a62184bed244
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258694/cdc_258694_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 192.79 KB ]