Impact of Heavy Metals in Ambient Air on Insulin Resistance of Shipyard Welders in Northern Taiwan

Ting-Yao Su, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Yuan-Ting Hsu, Ching-Huang Lai and Chih-Hong Pan
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Ting-Yao Su: Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Hueiwang Anna Jeng: School of Community and Environmental Health, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA
Yuan-Ting Hsu: Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Ching-Huang Lai: Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Chih-Hong Pan: Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labor, Executive Yuan, New Taipei City 221, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: Exposure to metals poses potential health risks, including insulin resistance (IR), to those exposed to them in excess. Limited studies have examined such risks in occupational workers, including welders, and these have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, we examined the associations between exposure to welding metals and IR in welders. We recruited 78 welders and 75 administrative staff from a shipyard located in northern Taiwan. Personal exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), was monitored through particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) and urine analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). After each participant fasted overnight, blood samples were collected and analyzed for IR assessment through updated homeostasis model assessment (HOMA2) modeling. Air sampling in the personal breathing zone was performed during a Monday shift prior to the blood and urine sample collection the following morning. The welders’ median personal Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn airborne PM 2.5 levels and urinary Cd levels were significantly higher than those of the administrative staff. After adjustment for covariates, logarithmic PM 2.5 -Mn, PM 2.5 -Fe, PM 2.5 -Cu, and PM 2.5 -Zn levels were positively correlated with logarithmic fasting plasma glucose (P-FGAC) levels (PM 2.5 -Mn: β = 0.0105, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0183; PM 2.5 -Fe: β = 0.0127, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0227; PM 2.5 -Cu: β = 0.0193, 95% C.I.: 0.0032–0.0355; PM 2.5 -Zn: β = 0.0132, 95% C.I.: 0.0005–0.0260). Logarithmic urinary Zn was positively correlated with logarithmic serum insulin and HOMA2-IR levels and negatively correlated with logarithmic HOMA2-insulin sensitivity (%S; β insulin = 0.2171, 95% C.I.: 0.0025–0.4318; β IR = 0.2179, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.4330; β %S = −0.2180, 95% C.I.: −0.4334 to −0.0026). We observed that glucose homeostasis was disrupted by Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn exposure through increasing P-FGAC and IR levels in shipyard welders.

Keywords: shipyard welders; PM 2.5 metal components; urinary metals; insulin resistance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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