Wu Yingjun, Qi Mengdie, Yu Hang, Li Guiying, An Taicheng
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
J Environ Sci (China). 2025 Jan;147:62-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2023.10.003. Epub 2023 Oct 17.
Non-ferrous metal smelting poses significant risks to public health. Specifically, the copper smelting process releases arsenic, a semi-volatile metalloid, which poses an emerging exposure risk to both workers and nearby residents. To comprehensively understand the internal exposure risks of metal(loid)s from copper smelting, we explored eighteen metal(loid)s and arsenic metabolites in the urine of both occupational and non-occupational populations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with high-performance liquid chromatography and compared their health risks. Results showed that zinc and copper (485.38 and 14.00 µg/L), and arsenic, lead, cadmium, vanadium, tin and antimony (46.80, 6.82, 2.17, 0.40, 0.44 and 0.23 µg/L, respectively) in workers (n=179) were significantly higher compared to controls (n=168), while Zinc, tin and antimony (412.10, 0.51 and 0.15 µg/L, respectively) of residents were significantly higher than controls. Additionally, workers had a higher monomethyl arsenic percentage (MMA%), showing lower arsenic methylation capacity. Source appointment analysis identified arsenic, lead, cadmium, antimony, tin and thallium as co-exposure metal(loid)s from copper smelting, positively relating to the age of workers. The hazard index (HI) of workers exceeded 1.0, while residents and control were approximately at 1.0. Besides, all three populations had accumulated cancer risks exceeding 1.0 × 10, and arsenite (As) was the main contributor to the variation of workers and residents. Furthermore, residents living closer to the smelting plant had higher health risks. This study reveals arsenic exposure metabolites and multiple metals as emerging contaminants for copper smelting exposure populations, providing valuable insights for pollution control in non-ferrous metal smelting.
有色金属冶炼对公众健康构成重大风险。具体而言，铜冶炼过程会释放出砷，一种半挥发性类金属，这对工人和附近居民都构成了新出现的暴露风险。为了全面了解铜冶炼中金属（类金属）的内部暴露风险，我们使用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪结合高效液相色谱法，对职业人群和非职业人群尿液中的18种金属（类金属）和砷代谢物进行了探索，并比较了它们的健康风险。结果显示，与对照组（n = 168）相比，工人（n = 179）尿液中的锌和铜（分别为485.38和14.00 μg/L），以及砷、铅、镉、钒、锡和锑（分别为46.80、6.82、2.17、0.40、0.44和0.23 μg/L）显著更高，而居民尿液中的锌、锡和锑（分别为41,210、0.51和0.15 μg/L）显著高于对照组。此外，工人的一甲基砷百分比（MMA%）较高，表明砷甲基化能力较低。源分配分析确定砷、铅、镉、锑、锡和铊为铜冶炼中的共暴露金属（类金属），与工人年龄呈正相关。工人的危害指数（HI）超过1.0，而居民和对照组约为1.0。此外，所有三组人群的累积癌症风险均超过1.0×10，亚砷酸盐（As）是工人和居民风险变化的主要贡献者。此外，居住在冶炼厂附近的居民健康风险更高。本研究揭示了砷暴露代谢物和多种金属是铜冶炼暴露人群中新出现的污染物，为有色金属冶炼污染控制提供了有价值的见解。
