Insights into the health status of the general population living near an electroplating industry zone: metal elevation and renal impairment

Abstract To evaluate the body burdens of metals and metalloids associated with renal dysfunction in residents living near electroplating industries, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 in Zhejiang Province, China. We recruited 236 subjects and performed physical examinations; determined the blood and urinary levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), and selenium (Se) by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS); and measured three renal impairment biomarkers, namely Nacetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), retinol binding protein (RBP), and β2-microglobulin (BMG). The proportion of abnormal nasal symptoms in the exposure group (10.1%) was much higher than in the control group (0; p < 0.05). Both the blood and urinary levels of As, Cd, and Se in the exposure group were significantly higher than the levels in the control group (p < 0.05). The blood levels of Mn and Pb, as well as the urinary levels of Cr and Ni, in the exposure group were significantly higher compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The exposure group demonstrated higher levels of NAG, RBP, and BMG compared to the control group (0.51 vs. 0.14 mg/g creatinine, 12.79 vs. 9.26 IU/ g creatinine, 1.39 vs. 0.78 mg/g creatinine, respectively; p < 0.05). Urinary BMG was positively correlated with urinary Cd levels (r = 0.223, p < 0.05), while urinary RBP was correlated with blood Cd levels (r = 0.151, p < 0.05) and urinary Cd, Cr, Ni, and Se levels (r = 0.220, 0.303, 0.162, and 0.306, respectively; p < 0.05). In conclusion, our study indicated that residents living in the vicinity of electroplating industries were bearing high body burdens of certain metals and metalloids associated with nonnegligible renal dysfunction.