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Environ Sci Pollut Res (2013) 20:44414447 DOI 10.1007/s11356-012-1366-2
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effects of lead and cadmium exposure from electronic waste on child physical growth
Hui Yang & Xia Huo & Taofeek Akangbe Yekeen &
Qiujian Zheng & Minghao Zheng & Xijin Xu
Received: 9 October 2012 /Accepted: 22 November 2012 /Published online: 18 December 2012 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Abstract Many studies indicate that lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure may alter bone development through both direct and indirect mechanisms, increasing the risk of osteoporosis later in life. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Pb and Cd exposure, physical growth, and bone and calcium metabolism in children of an electronic waste (e-waste) processing area. We recruited 246 children (38 years) in a kindergarten located in Guiyu, China. Blood lead levels (BLLs) and blood cadmium levels (BCLs) of recruited children were measured as biomarkers for exposure. Serum calcium, osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase, and urinary deoxypyridinoline were used as
biomarkers for bone and calcium metabolism. Physical indexes such as height, weight, and head and chest circumference were also measured. The mean values of BLLs and BCLs obtained were 7.30 g/dL and 0.69 g/L, respectively. The average of BCLs increased with age. In multiple linear regression analysis, BLLs were negatively correlated with both height and weight, and positively correlated with bone resorption biomarkers. Neither bone nor calcium metabolic bio-markers showed significant correlation with cadmium. Childhood lead exposure affected both physical development and increased bone resorption of children in Guiyu. Primitive e-waste recycling may threaten the health of children with elevated BLL which may eventually cause adult osteoporosis.
Keywords Electronic waste (e-waste) . Lead . Cadmium . Children . Physical growth . Bone biomarker . Osteoporosis
Background, aim, and scope
Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are significant industrial and environmental pollutants, and their ubiquity in the environment and bioaccumulation in organisms have led to a variety of adverse effects in mammals. The neurotoxicity of Pb on children is widely studied and well documented (Olympio et al. 2009; Finkelstein et al. 1998; Zahran et al. 2009) as well as its association with other diseases (Moncrieff et al. 1964). It has also been confirmed that childhood exposure to Pb can cause bone demineralization and damage, thus...