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Combined exposure to heavy metals in PM2.5 and pediatric asthma
Chia-Yun Hsieh1, Chau-Ren Jung2, Chuan-Yao Lin3
1Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Insights
Exposure to lead (Pb) and other heavy metals like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) during pregnancy is linked to pediatric asthma. This study identifies critical exposure windows during gestation and early infancy.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Allergy
- Toxicology
Background:
- Asthma is a prevalent chronic allergic disease in children globally, affecting over 300 million individuals.
- Limited data exists on the association between ambient heavy metal exposure and pediatric asthma incidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of heavy metal exposure during pregnancy and infancy on asthma development.
- To pinpoint sensitive developmental windows for heavy metal exposure and its effect on lung health.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 171,281 children born between 2004-2011 in Taichung City was followed until 2014.
- Ambient heavy metal concentrations (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead) were modeled.
- A distributed lag nonlinear model analyzed the relationship between combined heavy metal exposure (in PM2.5) and asthma in pregnant women and infants.
Main Results:
- 31,277 new pediatric asthma cases were identified.
- Lead (Pb) exposure during early (weeks 1-14) and late (weeks 21-40) gestation, and 1-3 weeks post-birth, showed a positive association with asthma.
- Co-exposure to lead with arsenic, cadmium, or mercury also correlated positively with asthma onset.
Conclusions:
- Combined exposure to lead with arsenic, cadmium, and mercury during critical gestational periods is associated with pediatric asthma incidence.
- This research highlights the risks of heavy metal exposure on fetal lung development and asthma risk.
Background:
Asthma is the most common chronic allergic disease in children; it affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Information on the association between exposure to ambient heavy metals and incidence of pediatric asthma is limited.
Objective:
We sought to evaluate the effects of heavy metals during pregnancy and infancy periods with asthma and identify a sensitive time window, clarifying the effect of ambient heavy metals on lung development.
Methods:
A total of 171,281 children, who were born from 2004 to 2011 in Taichung City, were followed until 2014. Concentrations of ambient heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) were obtained from the Weather Research and Forecasting/Chem model, considering the top 75 emission sources in Taiwan. The distributed lag nonlinear model was used to investigate the relationship between combined exposure to heavy metals in 2.5 μm particulate matter and asthma in pregnant women and 1-year-old infants.
Results:
We identified 31,277 new asthma cases from the birth cohort. After adjustment for socioeconomic status, maternal age, maternal atopy, maternal anemia, and maternal kidney disease, distributed lag nonlinear model results revealed positive associations of asthma with exposure to Pb during gestational weeks 1 to 14 and 21 to 40, and 1 to 3 weeks after birth. Regarding the sensitivity analyses, coexposure to Pb and As, coexposure to Pb and Cd, and coexposure to Pb and Hg were positively associated with asthma onset as well.
Conclusions:
Our study suggested that combined exposure to Pb with As, Cd, and Hg during early and late gestational weeks was associated with the incidence of pediatric asthma.
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