Health effects of environmental exposure to cadmium: objectives, design and organization of the cadmibel study: a cross-sectional morbidity study carried out in Belgium from 1985 to 1989

Cadmium is a cumulative environmental pollutant. For the general population mainly exposed by the oral route and through tobacco smoke inhalation, the kidney is the critical organ. Belgium is the principal producer of cadmium in Europe, and certain areas of the country are polluted by cadmium mainly because of past emissions from nonferrous industries. Preliminary studies carried out in one polluted area have suggested that environmental pollution might lead to an increased uptake of cadmium by the human body and possibly to health effects. Thus, a large-scale morbidity study has been initiated to assess the validity of this hypothesis. The present paper describes the protocol of this study. Its main objectives are to determine to what extent environmental exposure to cadmium resulting from industrial emissions may lead to accumulation of the metal in the human organism; to establish whether or not environmental exposure may induce renal changes and/or influence blood pressure; and to assess the acceptable internal dose of cadmium for the general population. The study design takes advantage of the fact that biological indicators of exposure, body burden, and early nephrotoxic effects of cadmium are available, which increase the likelihood of detecting a cause-effect relationship

Determinants of serum zinc in a random population sample of four Belgian towns with different degrees of environmental exposure to cadmium

This report investigated the distribution of serum zinc and the factors determining serum zinc concentration in a large random population sample. The 1977 participants (959 men and 1018 women), 20–80 years old, constituted a stratified random sample of the population of four Belgian districts, representing two areas with low and two with high environmental exposure to cadmium. For each exposure level, a rural and an urban area were selected. The serum concentration of zinc, frequently used as an index for zinc status in human subjects, was higher in men (13.1 μmole/L, range 6.5–23.0 μmole/L) than in women (12.6 μmole/L, range 6.3–23.2 μmole/L). In men, 20% of the variance of serum zinc was explained by age (linear and squared term, R = 0.29), diurnal variation (r = 0.29), and total cholesterol (r = 0.16). After adjustment for these covariates, a negative relationship was observed between serum zinc and both blood (r = −0.10) and urinary cadmium (r = −0.14). In women, 11% of the variance could be explained by age (linear and squared term, R = 0.15), diurnal variation in serum zinc (r = 0.27), creatinine clearance (r = −0.11), log γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (r = 0.08), cholesterol (r = 0.07), contraceptive pill intake (r = −0.07), and log serum ferritin (r = 0.06). Before and after adjustment for significant covariates, serum zinc was, on average, lowest in the two districts where the body burden of cadmium, as assessed by urinary cadmium excretion, was highest. These results were not altered when subjects exposed to heavy metals at work were excluded from analysis

performance psychométrique de jeunes enfants belges présentant une imprégnation saturnine sub-clinique: Une étude pilote

Two groups of boys, 4-5 years old, living respectively in a high and low lead intake risk areas (Verviers and Liege) have been compared for two intelligence scales, for the developmental test of the visual perception, for two French vocabulary tests and for the hair lead content. Possible psychological or sociological bias have been controlled by the matching of boys for familial variables and by exclusion of children with a non acceptable medical and psychological previous history. The results show a higher geometric mean for the hair lead concentration in the Verviers children. The mean scores of the Wechsler full scale IQ and the vocabulary tests do not differ significantly in the investigated groups. The performance subtests of the intelligence scales however give different results at the usual 5% level. The small size of the samples examined in this pilot study precludes any conclusion about the causality or the strength of the association

Impairment of renal function with increasing blood lead concentrations in the general population

Cadmium and lead are toxic to the kidney. Both metals are known to induce nephropathy in subjects with heavy exposure. Environmental exposure to cadmium is associated with renal tubular dysfunction, but few studies have attempted to evaluate the renal effects of environmental lead exposure. A weak positive correlation between serum creatinine and blood lead concentrations was found in men, but not women, in the British civil service. We investigated the relation between lead exposure and renal function in the general population, using data obtained during the Cadmibel (Cadmium in Belgium) Study. Lead exposure was estimated by measuring blood concentrations of lead and zinc protoporphyrin, which is increased in the presence of high lead levels

Health effects of environmental exposure to cadmium: objectives, design and organization of the Cadmibel

Cadmium is a cumulative environmental pollutant. For the general population mainly exposed by the oral route and through tobacco smoke inhalation, the kidney is the critical organ. Belgium is the principal producer of cadmium in Europe, and certain areas of the country are polluted by cadmium mainly because of past emissions from nonferrous industries. Preliminary studies carried out in one polluted area have suggested that environmental pollution might lead to an increased uptake of cadmium by the human body and possibly to health effects. Thus, a large-scale morbidity study has been initiated to assess the validity of this hypothesis. The present paper describes the protocol of this study. Its main objectives are to determine to what extent environmental exposure to cadmium resulting from industrial emissions may lead to accumulation of the metal in the human organism; to establish whether or not environmental exposure may induce renal changes and/or influence blood pressure; and to assess the acceptable internal dose of cadmium for the genral population. The study design takes advantage of the fact that biological indicators of exposure, body burden, and early nephrotoxic effects of cadmium ar available, which increase the likelihood of detecting a cause-effect relationship