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Low-Level Environmental Cadmium Exposure Induces Kidney Tubule Damage in the General Population of Korean Adults

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Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is the most potent nephrotoxic heavy metal and may affect bone; it also has a long biological half-life in the human body. This study was designed to assess the effect of environmental low-level Cd exposure on kidney function and bone in the general population. The subjects of this cross-sectional study were 1907 healthy Korean adults who had not been exposed to Cd occupationally. We analyzed the concentrations of Cd in the urine, markers of renal tubule damage, such as β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity in the urine, calculated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using serum creatinine, and measured bone mineral density (BMD). Also, we analyzed malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the urine. The geometric mean concentration of Cd in urine was higher in women (1.36 μg/g creatinine) than in men (0.82 μg/g creatinine). Urinary Cd was significantly positively correlated with urinary β2-MG and NAG activity, whereas it was negatively correlated with eGFR and BMD. The risk of renal tubule damage was significantly associated with urine Cd level, and the association remained significant after controlling for various confounding variables. However, no association was observed between urinary Cd level and glomerular dysfunction or bone damage. The concentration of MDA was increased with urinary Cd level in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that low-level environmental Cd exposure may cause microscopic damage to renal tubules through oxidative stress but might not impair kidney glomeruli or bones.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by a Grant (14162MFDS655) from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea

    Sang-Yong Eom, Yong-Dae Kim & Heon Kim

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-Dong, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul, 156-756, Korea

    Mi-Na Seo, Young-Sub Lee, Byung-Sun Choi & Jung-Duck Park

  3. Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea

    Kyung-Su Park

  4. College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea

    Young-Seoub Hong

  5. College of Medicine, Chonnam University, Kwangju, Seoul, Korea

    Seok-Joon Sohn

  6. College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea

    Ji-Ae Lim & Ho-Jang Kwon

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  1. Sang-Yong Eom
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Correspondence to Jung-Duck Park.

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Eom, SY., Seo, MN., Lee, YS. et al. Low-Level Environmental Cadmium Exposure Induces Kidney Tubule Damage in the General Population of Korean Adults. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 73, 401–409 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-017-0443-4

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