Association between Pb, Cd, and Hg Exposure and Liver Injury among Korean Adults

Do-Won Kim, Jeongwon Ock, Kyong-Whan Moon and Choong-Hee Park
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Do-Won Kim: Environmental Health Research Division, National institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon 22689, Korea
Jeongwon Ock: Environmental Health Research Division, National institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon 22689, Korea
Kyong-Whan Moon: BK21 FOUR R & E Center for Learning Health System, Department of Health and Environmental Science, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
Choong-Hee Park: Environmental Health Research Division, National institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon 22689, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Exposure to lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) has been reported to be associated with liver-related diseases. However, studies examining the association between heavy metal exposure and liver injury in a large population are scant and characterized by inconsistent results. This study aimed to evaluate the association between levels of heavy metal exposure and liver injury in the general population. Methods: Data for 2953 participants aged 19 years or more obtained from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 3 (2015–2017) were used. The associations between levels of blood or urine heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and Hg) and liver function biomarkers [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Regarding the blood Pb (BPb), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartiles, and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. For urinary Cd (UCd), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile; ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in the 4th quartile than in the 1st quartile. For the blood Hg (BHg), AST was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. There was no significant difference between urinary Hg (UHg) and liver function markers. Conclusion: Heavy metal exposure showed an association with liver injury among the general adult population in Korea. Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between heavy metals and liver injury.

Keywords: heavy metals; liver function; KoNEHS; epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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