Comprehensive Blood Metabolome and Exposome Analysis, Annotation, and Interpretation in E-Waste Workers

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Metabolomics
• Toxicology

Background:

• Electronic waste (e-waste) generation poses global environmental and public health challenges.
• E-waste workers experience substantial health risks from occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate metabolic and exposomic alterations in male e-waste workers.
• To identify specific biological pathways affected by occupational exposures in the e-waste industry.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of whole blood samples from 100 male e-waste workers and 49 controls using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
• Development of a specialized computational workflow for exposomics data analysis with curated reference libraries.
• Application of two feature detection algorithms (asari and centWave) for metabolome and exposome profiling.

Main Results:

• The 'asari' algorithm demonstrated superior sensitivity for detecting trace-level MS features compared to 'centWave'.
• Distinct metabolic profiles were observed between e-waste workers and controls, with significant disruptions in steroid hormone biosynthesis, drug metabolism, bile acid biosynthesis, vitamin metabolism, and prostaglandin biosynthesis.
• Metal exposures were correlated with widespread metabolic alterations, and functional enrichment analysis revealed perturbations in liver function, vitamin metabolism, linoleate metabolism, and dynorphin signaling pathways.

Conclusions:

• This research offers novel insights into the biological consequences of chronic metal exposure among e-waste workers.
• The findings underscore the critical need for targeted health monitoring and protective measures for individuals in the e-waste sector.