Hair mercury and urinary cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers within the framework of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES projects
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Hair mercury and urinary cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers within the framework of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES projects. / Pirard, Catherine; Koppen, Gudrun; De Cremer, Koen; Van Overmeire, Ilse; Govarts, Eva; Dewolf, Marie-Christine; Van De Mieroop, Els; Aerts, Dominique; Biot, Pierre; Casteleyn, Ludwine; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Schwedler, Gerda; Angerer, Jürgen; Koch, Holger M; Schindler, Birgit K; Castaño, Argelia; Esteban, Marta; Schoeters, Greet; Den Hond, Elly; Sepai, Ovnair; Exley, Karen; Horvat, Milena; Bloemen, Louis; Knudsen, Lisbeth E; Joas, Reinhard; Joas, Anke; Van Loco, Joris; Charlier, Corinne.
In: The Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 472, 15.02.2014, p. 730-40.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - Hair mercury and urinary cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers within the framework of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES projects
AU - Pirard, Catherine
AU - Koppen, Gudrun
AU - De Cremer, Koen
AU - Van Overmeire, Ilse
AU - Govarts, Eva
AU - Dewolf, Marie-Christine
AU - Van De Mieroop, Els
AU - Aerts, Dominique
AU - Biot, Pierre
AU - Casteleyn, Ludwine
AU - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike
AU - Schwedler, Gerda
AU - Angerer, Jürgen
AU - Koch, Holger M
AU - Schindler, Birgit K
AU - Castaño, Argelia
AU - Esteban, Marta
AU - Schoeters, Greet
AU - Den Hond, Elly
AU - Sepai, Ovnair
AU - Exley, Karen
AU - Horvat, Milena
AU - Bloemen, Louis
AU - Knudsen, Lisbeth E
AU - Joas, Reinhard
AU - Joas, Anke
AU - Van Loco, Joris
AU - Charlier, Corinne
N1 - Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/2/15
Y1 - 2014/2/15
N2 - A harmonized human biomonitoring pilot study was set up within the frame of the European projects DEMOCOPHES and COPHES. In 17 European countries, biomarkers of some environmental pollutants, including urinary cadmium and hair mercury, were measured in children and their mothers in order to obtain European-wide comparison values on these chemicals. The Belgian participant population consisted in 129 school children (6-11 years) and their mothers (≤ 45 years) living in urban or rural areas of Belgium. The geometric mean levels for mercury in hair were 0.383 μg/g and 0.204 μg/g for respectively mothers and children. Cadmium in mother's and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean concentration of respectively 0.21 and 0.04 μg/l. For both biomarkers, levels measured in the mothers and their child were correlated. While the urinary cadmium levels increased with age, no trend was found for hair mercury content, except the fact that mothers hold higher levels than children. The hair mercury content increased significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings, explaining partially the higher levels in the mothers by their higher presence rate of these amalgams compared to children. Fish or seafood consumption was the other main parameter determining the mercury levels in hair. No relationship was found between smoking status and cadmium or mercury levels, but the studied population included very few smokers. Urinary cadmium levels were higher in both mothers and children living in urban areas, while for mercury this difference was only significant for children. Our small population showed urinary cadmium and hair mercury levels lower than the health based guidelines suggested by the WHO or the JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). Only 1% had cadmium level slightly higher than the German HBM-I value (1 μg/l for adults), and 9% exceeded the 1 μg mercury/g hair suggested by the US EPA.
AB - A harmonized human biomonitoring pilot study was set up within the frame of the European projects DEMOCOPHES and COPHES. In 17 European countries, biomarkers of some environmental pollutants, including urinary cadmium and hair mercury, were measured in children and their mothers in order to obtain European-wide comparison values on these chemicals. The Belgian participant population consisted in 129 school children (6-11 years) and their mothers (≤ 45 years) living in urban or rural areas of Belgium. The geometric mean levels for mercury in hair were 0.383 μg/g and 0.204 μg/g for respectively mothers and children. Cadmium in mother's and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean concentration of respectively 0.21 and 0.04 μg/l. For both biomarkers, levels measured in the mothers and their child were correlated. While the urinary cadmium levels increased with age, no trend was found for hair mercury content, except the fact that mothers hold higher levels than children. The hair mercury content increased significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings, explaining partially the higher levels in the mothers by their higher presence rate of these amalgams compared to children. Fish or seafood consumption was the other main parameter determining the mercury levels in hair. No relationship was found between smoking status and cadmium or mercury levels, but the studied population included very few smokers. Urinary cadmium levels were higher in both mothers and children living in urban areas, while for mercury this difference was only significant for children. Our small population showed urinary cadmium and hair mercury levels lower than the health based guidelines suggested by the WHO or the JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). Only 1% had cadmium level slightly higher than the German HBM-I value (1 μg/l for adults), and 9% exceeded the 1 μg mercury/g hair suggested by the US EPA.
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.028
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.028
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 24333995
VL - 472
SP - 730
EP - 740
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
ER -
ID: 105622154