The Effect of ALAD Polymorphism on the Relationship of Blood and Bone Lead with Hematologic Biomarkers in Lead Exposed Workers / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of ALAD polymorphism on the relationship of blood and bone lead with hematologic biomarkers in lead exposed workers, 450 lead exposed workers and 85 non-lead exposed workers were selected. METHODS: Blood lead and tibia bone lead were selected as parameters of lead exposure and blood ZPP, urinary ALA (ALAU), hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) were chosen as parameters of hematologic effect of lead exposure. Genotype of each subject was assayed and expressed as ALAD1 and ALAD2. Demographic information such as sex, age and personal habit of smoking and drinking were collected. Job duration of lead exposed workers was also obtained. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of the variant allele, ALAD2 in lead exposed workers was 9.6 %(43 out of 450 lead workers) which was not differed from control workers (9.4 % : 8 out of 85). The means of tibial lead and blood ZPP in lead workers with ALAD2 were lower than those of lead workers with ALAD1, but the differences were not statistically significant. After adjusting for possible confounders (sex, job duration, BMI, drinking and smoking status) only blood lead and bone lead contributed negatively to the level of hemoglobin with statistical significance without any contribution of ALAD genotype. On the other hand, no significant effect of blood lead, bone lead and ALAD genotype were observed on the level of hematocrit after controlling possible confounder. ALAD genotype in the multiple regression analysis of blood lead and bone lead with log transformed urinary ALA (LogALAU) after adjusting for possible confounders showed significant main and interaction effect on LogALAU simultaneously, which resulted lower LogALAU in lead exposed workers of ALAD2 than ALAD1. It was also observed only main effect of ALAD gene type on blood ZPP after adjusting possible confounder resulting lower ZPP in lead workers of ALAD2 than ALAD1. CONCLUSIONS: With above results, it was found that ALAD polymorphism did not affect on the level of hemoglobin and hematocrit, but ALAD polymorphism made significant effect on the association of blood and bone lead with urinary ALA and blood ZPP. The lower urinary ALA and blood ZPP in ALAD2 lead workers suggested that ALAD2 genotype may be supportive for the protective effect of lead.

Illness associated with contamination of drinking water supplies with phenol

An accidental spill of phenol (100%) into the Nakdong river with subsequent contamination of the tap water for about two million consumers in Teagu city of Korea occurred in March 1991. A historical cohort study of 6,913 individuals was undertaken to determine association with illness. Population subjects were divided into two groups of exposed and unexposed. Exposed subjects were reported to have significantly more phenol associated symptoms than those in a nearby unexposed area (39.6% vs. 9.4%, p < 0.01). Especially, in the related symptoms, highly significant differences were noted in the number of subjects reporting gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. During the accident, study subjects who experienced peculiar taste or odor in the tap water were significantly more in the exposed areas (92% vs. 34.3%).

Complex effect of low blood lead and cadmium to plasma renin activity and blood pressure / 대한산업의학회지

No abstract available.

Illness Associated With Contamination Of Drinking Water Supplies With Phenol / 예방의학회지

A accidental spills of phenol(100%) to the river Nakdong with subsequent contamination of the tap water for about two million consumers in Taegu city of Korea were occurred in March 1991. A historical cohort study of 6,913 individuals was undertaken to determine the associated with illness. Population subjects were divided into two groups of exposed and unexposed. Exposed subjects were reported to be phenol associated symptoms significantly higher than those in a nearby unexposed area(39.6% vs 9.4%, p<0.01). Especially, in the related symptoms, highly significant differences were noted in the number of subjects reporting gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. During the accident, study subjects who experienced peculiar taste or odor in the tap water were significantly higher in the exposed areas(92% vs 34.3%). Chlorophenols formed from chlorination of water may have aggravated the problem.

Assessment of the Naktong river pollution after phenol spillage from the Kumi industrial estates II, Korea / 예방의학회지

The aquatic quality of the Naktong river after two of three months in June, 1991 with phenol spillage from a electrical factory in Kumi was investigated. The samples were collected at six sites of the Naktong river basin and Kachang and Kongsan lakes. Phenol was not detected from all water samples. Turbidity was very much increased to the down stream in the Naktong river. The BOD and COD values exceeded the 2nd grade(3 mg/l) of the Korean standard quality of Environmental Water Act at the all sampling sites of the Naktong river. Especially, the value of COD at Kaejin (12.5 mg/l) was poorly classified as to the 5th grade of water class for the environmental quality standards. Organophosphorous pesticides such as parathion, malathion, fenitrothion and diazinon were investigated but not detected. Diazinon was only detected at the Ilson bridge(1.42 ppb), Okkye stream(6.95 ppb), Waekwan bridge(0.32 ppb), Gangjung reservior(0.13 ppb), Kaejin(0.05 ppb). Of the carbamates such as carbanyl, isoprocarb and cabofuran, the carbofuran was detected all sites except tap water, and Kachang and Kongsan lakes. The content of heavy metals such ans Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn, Hg were not exceeding for drinking water standards at the all sampling region, but only mecury was detected from Okkye stream(0.018ppb) and Kaejin(0.09ppb). In the regions of Kachang and Kongsan lakes, the content of heavy metals were lower than that of reservoir of Naktong river.

Hair Heavy Metal Contents in Mentally Retarded Children III: In Association with Mercury / 예방의학회지

The relationship between mercury level of hair and mental retardation was investigated. The 297 subjects with mental retardation were drawn from two schools providing special educational services, one, consisted of children living in an orphan home, another, children with parents. The 117 control subjects were drawn from whom had got average or above average academic achievement in a regular elementary school. Hair sample were taken from the nape of the neck and the mercury analysis was carried out on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer(IL 551). There was no relationship between mercury contents and age, and there was a statistically significant difference in mercury contents between male and female in the mentally retarded children living with parents. Children in the retarded group had significantly higher mercury contents compared with control group except the female group with parents. Also, the mercury levels in the retarded group living in an orphan home were significantly higher than that of the retarded group with parents. The concomitant diseases were Down's syndrome, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism. There were statistically significant differences in hair mercury levels in the cases of accompanying Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy in male and Down's syndrome and autism in female compared with the control group of the same sex. The most accompanying handicap was speech disturbance(40.7%) and the others were crippled, emotional disturbance etc. The percentages of double handicap were 66.7% among 6 persons exceeding 6ppm of their hair mercury contents, 10.4% among 3~6 ppm and 15.7% among the group of 3ppm or less. The findings of this study suggest that the more opportunities of exposure to mercury in mentally retarded children may have occurred, so it can not be excluded the possibility of mercury as a contributing factor to mental retardation. Therefore, the causal relationship between mercury levels and mental retardation should be established through the examinations about their living environments, dietary pattern, eating habit etc.

Contents of Lead, Cadmium and Zinc in Bone, Muscle and Fin of Carassius carassius from Middle Stream of Nakdong River, Korea / 예방의학회지

In order to determine the contents of lead, cadmium and zinc, the tissues of the crussian carp, Carassius carassius, collected from the middle streams of the Nakdong river were examined. During the dry season from 8 to 15, March, 1987, six loci were selected to sample the fish and river water; five of them were the midstreams of the Nakdong river i.e., the vicinities of the Andong dam, the Nakdong bridge, the Waegwan bridge, Gangjung and Gaepori, the other one was the Kumho river around the Paldal bridge(see Fig.1). The microanalyses of lead and cadmium contents were undertaken by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer(Model IL-551) connected with CTF-IL 655, while that of zinc by the flame method with IL-551 only. The contents of lead and cadmium in water sampled from Gaepori distant from about 30km downward from the junction with the Kumho river were about 1.5 times higher than those from Gangjung distant about 0.5km upward from the junction, and the content of zinc from Gaepori was slightly higher than that from Gangjung. However, the contents of lead and cadmium in water sampled from Gaepori were three fifth of those from the vicinity of Paldal bridge far about 2km upperward from the junction. In the other words, the contents of lead and cadmium in the samples from the vicinity of the Paldal bridge were about 2.5 to 3 times higher than those from the Gangjung and 5 times higher than those from the Andong dam. The contents of the heavy metals in the tissues of Carassius carassius were relatively consistent to those of the aquatic environments were the fish were collected, with higher contents in the tissues of the crussian carp collected from the vicinity of Gaepori and the Paldal bridge which were so much polluted than in those from other loci in upper stream from the junction. And the contents of lead and cadmium in tissues were positively correlated with the age of the fish, however, that zinc was not. The contents of lead in bone of crussian carp from the vicinity of the Paldal bridge in the group of 0-1 year old fish were similar to those of 4-5 years old fish from Gaepori, and higher than those of 3-4 years old fish collected from the upper stream of the junction. It is likely that fishing from Gaepori and the paldal bridge is not recommended, and all the industrial producers have to pay intensive attention to the water pollution due to the sewage disposal.