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Blood Metal Concentrations of Manganese, Lead, and Cadmium in Relation to Serum Ferritin Levels in Ohio Residents

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Abstract

The objectives of this study were to assess ferritin-specific profiles of blood metal concentrations such as manganese, lead, and cadmium and to evaluate whether ferritin may affect the behavior of the blood metals in relation to menstruation, menopause, or sex in Ohio residents. Recruited participants included residents from Marietta, East Liverpool, and Mt. Vernon, OH, USA, who were aged 30–75 years and lived at least 10 years in their respective town. The levels of the neurotoxic metals such as manganese, cadmium, and lead were assayed in whole blood. Serum was analyzed for ferritin level [as a biomarker of iron (Fe) status]. An association between blood metal concentrations and independent variables (age, serum ferritin, manganese exposure status, and sex) by multiple regression analysis was assessed, controlling for various covariates such as BMI, educational level, smoking, and alcohol drinking status. Overall, the geometric means of blood manganese, cadmium, and lead levels of all participants (n = 276) were 9.307 μg/L, 0.393 μg/L, and 1.276 μg/dL, respectively. Log serum ferritin concentrations were inversely associated with log blood manganese concentration (β = −0.061 log ferritin and β = 0.146 categorical ferritin) and log blood cadmium concentrations (β = −0.090 log ferritin and β = 0.256 categorical ferritin). Log serum ferritin concentrations were not associated with log blood lead concentrations. Variables of age, sex, and exposure status were not associated with log manganese concentrations; however, log blood cadmium concentrations were higher in older population, women, and smokers. Log blood lead concentrations were higher in older population, men, and postmenopausal women. Our study showed that iron deficiency is associated with increased levels of blood manganese and cadmium, but not blood lead, in Ohio residents. These metals showed different toxicokinetics in relation to age, sex, and menopausal status despite similar relationships between ferritin and metal concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks are given to Dr. Harry Roels for his input and assistance with planning and carrying out of this study and his availability for overseeing the collection and shipping of the blood samples. Also acknowledged for valuable support to this study are the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental Health (Greg Stein, Robert Frey); gratitude is expressed to the Health Commissioners in the three towns: Marietta, Ms. Kathleen Meckstroh; Mt. Vernon, Mr. Dennis Murry; and East Liverpool, Ms. Jelayne Dray. East Liverpool City Hospital is thanked for generously providing an experienced phlebotomist. Judy Richards is thanked for her assistance in analyzing the serum samples for ferritin at the US EPA Core Laboratory, and we are thanking Dr. Kathleen Caldwell and Dr. Eric Sampson at the Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, for the blood collection supplies and for analyzing the blood metals of manganese, cadmium, and lead. Most of all, we thank the study participants for their invaluable contribution to the knowledge gained from this investigation. The research described in this article has been funded wholly (or in part) by the US Environmental Protection Agency through cooperative agreement number 83416001 to San Francisco State University and EPA contracts EP-11-D-000424 and EP-13-D-000146.

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The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, 682-060, South Korea

    Yangho Kim

  2. Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    Danelle T. Lobdell & Edward Hudgens

  3. Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Chris W. Wright, Vihra V. Gocheva & Rosemarie M. Bowler

  4. 8371 Kent Drive, El Cerrito, CA, 94530, USA

    Rosemarie M. Bowler

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  1. Yangho Kim
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Correspondence to Rosemarie M. Bowler.

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Kim, Y., Lobdell, D.T., Wright, C.W. et al. Blood Metal Concentrations of Manganese, Lead, and Cadmium in Relation to Serum Ferritin Levels in Ohio Residents. Biol Trace Elem Res 165, 1–9 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0223-1

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