Manganese and Lead Exposure and Early Puberty Onset in Children Living near a Ferromanganese Alloy Plant

Nathália Ribeiro dos Santos, Juliana Lima Gomes Rodrigues, Matheus de Jesus Bandeira, Ana Laura dos Santos Anjos, Cecília Freitas da Silva Araújo, Luis Fernando Fernandes Adan and José Antonio Menezes-Filho
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Nathália Ribeiro dos Santos: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil
Juliana Lima Gomes Rodrigues: Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil
Matheus de Jesus Bandeira: Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil
Ana Laura dos Santos Anjos: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil
Cecília Freitas da Silva Araújo: Environmental and Public Health Program, National School of Public Health, Oswald Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Luis Fernando Fernandes Adan: Graduate Program in Medicine and Health, College of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil
José Antonio Menezes-Filho: Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb) have been associated with the deregulation of the neuroendocrine system, which could potentially favor the appearance of precocious puberty (PP) in environmentally exposed children. This study aims to evaluate the exposure to Mn and Pb and their potential effects in anticipating puberty in school-aged children living near a ferromanganese alloy plant in Bahia, Brazil. Toenail, occipital hair and blood samples were collected from 225 school-aged children. Tanner’s scale was used for pubertal staging. Mn in blood (MnB), toenail (MnTn) and hair (MnH) and blood lead (PbB) levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Puberty-related hormone concentrations were determined by chemiluminescence. The age at which girls’ breasts began to develop was inversely correlated with weight-for-age, height-for-age and BMI-for-age Z-scores ( p < 0.05); pubarche also had similar results. Mn biomarker levels did not present differences among pubertal classification nor among children with potential PP or not. Furthermore, Mn exposure was not associated with the age of onset of sexual characteristics for either girls or boys. However, PbB levels were positively correlated with boys’ pubic hair stages (rho = 0.258; p = 0.009) and associated with the age of onset of girls’ pubarche (β = 0.299, 95%CI = 0.055–0.542; p = 0.017). Testosterone and LH concentrations were statistically higher in boys with an increased PbB ( p = 0.09 and p = 0.02, respectively). Prospective studies are needed to better assess the association between exposure to Mn and Pb and the early onset of puberty.

Keywords: manganese; blood lead; children; early puberty; environmental exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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