Chronic Community Exposure to Environmental Metal Mixtures Is Associated with Selected Cytokines in the Navajo Birth Cohort Study (NBCS)

Nicole Thompson González (), Jennifer Ong, Li Luo and Debra MacKenzie
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Nicole Thompson González: Integrative Anthropological Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Jennifer Ong: Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Li Luo: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Debra MacKenzie: Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Many tribal populations are characterized by health disparities, including higher rates of infection, metabolic syndrome, and cancer—all of which are mediated by the immune system. Members of the Navajo Nation have suffered chronic low-level exposure to metal mixtures from uranium mine wastes for decades. We suspect that such metal and metalloid exposures lead to adverse health effects via their modulation of immune system function. We examined the relationships between nine key metal and metalloid exposures (in blood and urine) with 11 circulating biomarkers (cytokines and CRP in serum) in 231 pregnant Navajo women participating in the Navajo Birth Cohort Study. Biomonitored levels of uranium and arsenic species were considerably higher in participants than NHANES averages. Each biomarker was associated with a unique set of exposures, and arsenic species were generally immunosuppressive (decreased cellular and humoral stimulating cytokines). Overall, our results suggest that environmental metal and metalloid exposures modulate immune status in pregnant Navajo women, which may impact long-term health outcomes in mothers and their children.

Keywords: immunomodulation; inflammation; immunosuppression; pollutants; mining waste; tribal lands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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