Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 23;19(10):6335. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19106335.
Deforestation, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and the rapid development related to highway expansion cause opportunities for toxic trace element exposure in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru, one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury among adults in Madre de Dios. In total, 418 adult (18+ years) participants in the Investigacion de Migracion, Ambiente, y Salud (IMAS) (Migration, Environment, and Health Study) participated in this study. Consent, survey data, and biospecimens were collected between August and November 2014. Nail elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry. Differences by selected individual and household characteristics and local land uses were tested using one-way ANOVAs and linear mixed models. Adults in ASGM-affected areas had higher nail arsenic and nail cadmium than their non-ASGM counterparts. Higher household fish consumption was positively associated with nail mercury and nail lead. The results indicate that adult exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury is heterogeneous across Madre de Dios, and the exposures related to ASGM communities and fish consumption suggest that exposures from artisanal and small-scale mining are environmentally widespread. Further investigation is warranted to ascertain potential health impacts.
森林砍伐、手工和小规模采金（ASGM）以及与公路扩张相关的快速发展，为秘鲁马德雷德迪奥斯（MDD）地区的有毒微量元素暴露提供了机会，该地区是世界上生物多样性最丰富的地区之一。本研究的目的是评估 Madre de Dios 成年人接触砷、镉、铅和汞的情况。共有 418 名成年（18 岁以上）参与 Investigacion de Migracion, Ambiente, y Salud（IMAS）（移民、环境和健康研究）的参与者参加了这项研究。同意书、调查数据和生物样本于 2014 年 8 月至 11 月之间收集。通过电感耦合等离子体质谱扇形场质谱法测量指甲元素。使用单向方差分析和线性混合模型测试了选定的个人和家庭特征和当地土地利用的差异。受 ASGM 影响地区的成年人指甲中的砷和镉含量高于非 ASGM 地区的成年人。家庭中鱼类摄入量较高与指甲中的汞和铅呈正相关。结果表明，Madre de Dios 地区成年人接触砷、镉、铅和汞的情况存在异质性，与 ASGM 社区和鱼类消费相关的接触表明，来自手工和小规模采矿的接触在环境中广泛存在。需要进一步调查以确定潜在的健康影响。
