Akinyemi Bolanle, Obeng-Gyasi Emmanuel
Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Environmental Health and Disease Laboratory, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
J Xenobiot. 2025 Jun 19;15(3):94. doi: 10.3390/jox15030094.
Environmental exposures to heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and furans have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, yet their combined effects remain underexplored. This study examined the joint influence of these contaminants on cardiovascular risk indicators in a representative sample of U.S. adults from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Biomarkers of exposure included lead, cadmium, mercury, twelve PCB congeners, seven dioxins, and ten furans. Cardiovascular outcomes were assessed using blood pressure, Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and lipid profiles. Associations were analyzed using multivariable linear regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, and income. The results demonstrated that metals, particularly mercury, were strongly associated with increased blood pressure and altered HDL cholesterol. PCBs were predominantly linked to elevated systolic blood pressure and FRS, with PCB156 and PCB126 identified as principal contributors. Furans exhibited the strongest associations with dyslipidemia, including elevated LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Combined exposure analysis revealed a complex pattern, with increasing pollutant burdens associated with rising blood pressure and risk scores but declining lipid levels. These findings underscore the outcome-specific effects of pollutant mixtures and suggest that chronic low-level exposure to multiple environmental contaminants may contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction in the general population. Further longitudinal research is needed to confirm these associations and guide risk reduction strategies.
环境暴露于重金属、多氯联苯(PCBs)、二噁英和呋喃与不良心血管结局相关,但它们的联合效应仍未得到充分研究。本研究在2003 - 2004年美国国家健康与营养检查调查(NHANES)的美国成年人代表性样本中,考察了这些污染物对心血管风险指标的联合影响。暴露生物标志物包括铅、镉、汞、12种多氯联苯同系物、7种二噁英和10种呋喃。使用血压、弗雷明汉风险评分(FRS)和血脂谱评估心血管结局。采用多变量线性回归和贝叶斯核机器回归(BKMR)分析关联,并对年龄、性别、种族、体重指数、吸烟、饮酒和收入进行了调整。结果表明,金属,尤其是汞,与血压升高和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇改变密切相关。多氯联苯主要与收缩压升高和FRS升高有关,其中PCB156和PCB126被确定为主要贡献者。呋喃与血脂异常的关联最强,包括低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、总胆固醇和甘油三酯升高。联合暴露分析揭示了一种复杂的模式,污染物负担增加与血压和风险评分升高但血脂水平下降有关。这些发现强调了污染物混合物对特定结局的影响,并表明长期低水平暴露于多种环境污染物可能导致普通人群的心血管功能障碍。需要进一步的纵向研究来证实这些关联并指导风险降低策略。