Abstract
The origin of metal elements in tonsillar tissues of children patients was investigated in order to establish the link between environmental pollution and tonsilitis diagnosis. The children lived either in a polluted, industrial region (Moravian-Silesian Region, North-East Czechia) or a clean, predominantly agricultural region (South Bohemian Region, South-East Czechia). Simultaneously, the distance of the address of the patients to the closest main road was assessed. The elemental content of the present particulate matter in the tonsil samples, coming from indicated tonsillectomies, was analysed using scanning electron microscopy equipped with an X-ray microprobe. No significant association of the elemental composition and the region was found using both bivariate and multivariate methods; however, an association with the distance to the closest main road was found. The study presents a novel assessment of the tonsillar tissues and supports the link between environmental factors (traffic-related particulate pollution) and the onset of chronic, idiopathic diseases in children, which has been debated recently.
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The datasets used and analysed during the current research are available from the corresponding author on request.
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Funding
This study was funded by project No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_049/0008441 “Innovative therapeutic methods of musculoskeletal system in accident surgery” within the Research and Development for Innovations Operational Programme financed by the European Union and by Institutional support from the Ministry of Health Czech Republic.
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Conceptualisation, K.C.; validation, K.S., O.M. and K.Z.; formal analysis, J.K. and J.D.; Investigation, K.Z., J.D. and M.H.; data curation, K.C., K.S. and O.M.; resources, J.K., K.Z. and J.D.; writing—original draft preparation, K.C. and K.S.; writing—review and editing, O.M. and K.C.; visualisation, K.C., K.S. and O.M.; supervision, J.K.; project administration, K.C. and O.M.; language correction D.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of University Hospital Ostrava, number 28/2009. The study was performed complying with the Declaration of Helsinki, good clinical practice, and applicable regulatory requirements. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the initiation of any procedures.
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Čabanová, K., Štrbová, K., Motyka, O. et al. Traffic pollution tracers in the lymphatic system tissue of children—possible link to chronic tonsillitis development: pilot study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 39131–39138 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18869-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18869-w