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Adults with a high concentration of heavy metals in their blood are exposed to an increased risk of developing asthma.
A team of researchers from the Seoul Medical Center's Institute of Medicine released a study on Thursday showing that blood levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium are associated with an increased risk of asthma in adults.
Seoul Medical Center in Jungrang-gu
Seoul Medical Center in Jungrang-gu
Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2013, the researchers analyzed data from 43,328 adults to assess the association between blood levels of heavy metals (lead, mercury, and cadmium) and the risk of asthma.
The results showed that people with higher blood levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium had a significantly increased risk of asthma. In particular, adults in the highest group (Q4) experienced up to a 2.55-fold increase in asthma risk.
The researchers explained that heavy metal exposure is highly likely to hasten asthma development by disrupting the immune system and triggering airway inflammation.
Multiple exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium increased the risk of asthma by 3.22 times in the group with the highest levels (Q4) compared to the group with the lowest levels (Q1).
“This study demonstrates that heavy metal exposure may be associated with the risk of asthma in adults,” said lead researcher Kim Kyu-sang, director of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Based on this, more active policy responses to reduce environmental heavy metal exposure are needed.”
Dr. Chang Mi-jeong, who participated in the study, said, “Previous studies have analyzed the association between asthma and heavy metal exposure in children, but relatively few studies have been conducted in adults. Long-term heavy metal exposure may increase the risk of asthma, so it is important to monitor and manage exposure levels in adults systematically.”
The study, “Association between heavy metal exposure and asthma in adults: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2013,” was recently published in the international journal PLOS ONE.
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