The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of environmental cadmium (Cd) exposure indicated by urinary Cd (U-Cd) on cancer mortality in the general Japanese population. A 19-year cohort ...study was conducted in 1107 men and 1697 women who lived in three Cd non-polluted areas in Japan. Mortality risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for continuous U–Cd were estimated for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers using a Fine and Gray competing risks regression model. The all-cause, including cancer and non-cancer mortality rates per 1000 person-years were 29.8 and 13.9 in men and women, respectively. By using Fine and Gray's method, continuous U–Cd adjusted for creatinine (+1 μg/g cre) was significantly related to mortalities for all malignant neoplasms (risk ratio = 1.06, 95%CI: 1.02–1.11) and pancreas (risk ratio = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.03–1.24) in women. In the present study, U–Cd was significantly associated with increased cancer mortality in the general Japanese population, indicating that environmental Cd exposure adversely affects the life prognosis in Cd non-polluted areas in Japan.
In the past two decades, numerous studies on dioxin concentrations in breast milk have been conducted in China. However, information concerning dioxin concentrations in breast milk from women living ...in e-waste recycling sites remains limited. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate health risk owing dioxin intake in e-waste recycling areas in China. In 2015, 42 mothers were recruited from an e-waste recycling site, and the same number of mothers were recruited from a reference site. We collected 10-mL breast milk samples from each participant. Breast milk concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were significantly higher in the exposed group than in the reference group. The total toxic equivalents (TEQ) of PCDDs/DFs were 9.68 pg/g lipid in the exposed group, a value two times higher than those in the reference group (4.18 pg/g lipid). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of PCDD/DFs was calculated to assess the risk of dioxins through breastfeeding. The infant EDI level was two times higher in the exposed group (54.21 pg TEQ/kg body wt/day) than in the reference group (23.41 pg TEQ/kg body wt/day). Our findings suggest that mothers and their breastfeeding infants living in an e-waste recycling site were exposed to higher dioxin concentrations than those living in a reference site.
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•The dioxin concentrations in the exposed group were significantly higher than the reference group.•The infant EDI levels in the exposed group was 2 times higher than in the reference group.•The mothers and their breast-fed infants living in the exposed area higher body burden of dioxin
Objective: This study compared the effect of alternating shift work and day work on weight gain in Japanese male workers.
Methods and Procedures: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in day ...workers (n = 4,328) and alternating shift workers (n = 2,926) of a steel company who received annual health checkups over a 14‐year period between 1991 and 2005. The association between the type of job schedule and weight gain was investigated using multivariate pooled logistic regression analyses. The endpoints in the study were either a 5, 7.5, or 10% increase in BMI during the period of observation, compared to the BMI at entry.
Results: The type of job schedule was significantly associated with all three BMI endpoints (5% increase in BMI; odds ratio (OR) for comparison between alternating shift workers and regular day workers, 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06–1.23): (7.5% increase in BMI; OR, 1.13; 95%CI, 1.03–1.24: 10% increase in BMI; OR, 1.13; 95%CI, 1.00–1.28). BMI at study entry was also positively associated with the 5, 7.5, and 10% increases in BMI during the study. On the other hand, age and drinking habits were negatively associated with 5, 7.5, and 10% increases in BMI.
Discussion: Our study revealed that alternating shift work was an independent risk factor for weight gain in male Japanese workers. Efficient health screening and regular checkups, combined with support to control unhealthy lifestyle factors, would be of considerable benefit for maintaining the health of Japanese shift workers.
Objective This study investigated associations between three indices of obesity-the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)-and the incidence of chronic ...kidney disease (CKD). Methods The employees of a company in Japan (1,725 men, 1,186 women; aged 35-55 years) had BMI, WC, and WHtR measured in health examinations. The incidence of CKD was determined at annual medical examinations over a six-year period. The hazard ratios for CKD were calculated using proportional hazard models, and the χ2 statistic was used to compare the strengths of the associations. Results The mean BMI (kg/m2), WC (cm), and WHtR were 23.6, 84.3, and 0.49 for men and 22.3, 79.7, and 0.50 for women, respectively. The incidence of CKD (/1,000 person-years) was 18.1 for men and 8.4 for women. In men, positive linear associations were observed between the BMI, WC, and WHtR and the risk of CKD, even after adjusting for the presence of metabolic abnormalities (p for trend <0.001, 0.012, and 0.023, respectively). In women, a linear association was observed only between the WHtR and CKD, not the BMI or WC (p for trend =0.042, 0.057, and 0.186). The χ2 statistics were the highest for the BMI in both men and women. Conclusion The BMI, WC, and WHtR were linearly associated with the risk of CKD independently of metabolic abnormalities in men, while the associations were weaker or not significant in women. The BMI was the most strongly associated with the incidence of CKD in both men and women.
The relationship between cadmium exposure, exposure‐related renal tubular dysfunction, and mortality have been reported, mainly in the residents of Cd‐contaminated areas in Japan. The aim of this ...study was to establish the cause–effect relationship between renal tubular dysfunction and cancer mortality in the general population in non‐contaminated areas. A 19‐year cohort study was conducted in 1110 men and 1703 women in 1993 or 1994, who lived in three cadmium‐non‐contaminated areas. Mortality risk ratios of urinary β2‐microglobulin (β2MG) and N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG) for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers were estimated using the Fine and Gray competing risks regression model. Significant hazard ratios (HRs) for liver and pancreas cancer were observed for NAG (liver: HR corresponding to an increase of 1 IU/g cr, 1.10, 95%CI, 1.02–1.19, pancreas: HR, 1.10, 95%CI, 1.02–1.19) in men. In women, a negative HR was observed for NAG (lung cancer: HR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.67–0.96) and for β2MG (all malignant neoplasms: HR, 0.97, 95% CI, 0.93–1.00). The present study indicated that renal tubular dysfunction was significantly related to mortality in the general population of cadmium‐non‐contaminated areas in Japan.
We evaluated the relationship between renal tubular damage and cancer mortality by conducting a 19‐year cohort study in three cadmium non‐polluted areas in Japan. Mortality risk of urinary β2MG and NAG for all malignant neoplasms and specific cancers was estimated. Significant hazard ratios for liver and pancreas cancer were observed for NAG in men.
We evaluated the association between urinary cadmium concentration (uCd, μg/g Cr) and risk of cause-specific mortality according to urinary β2-microglobulin (MG) concentration. Participants were 1383 ...male and 1700 female inhabitants of the Cd-polluted Kakehashi River basin. The uCd and β2-MG were evaluated in a survey in 1981–1982, where those participants were followed-up over 35 years later. Among the participants with a urinary β2-MG < 1000, the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval) for mortality were significantly higher in those with a uCd of ≥10.0 compared with <5.0 for cardiovascular disease HR 1.92 (1.08–3.40) for men, 1.71 (1.07–2.71) for women, pneumonia or influenza 2.10 (1.10–4.00) for men, 2.22 (1.17–4.19) for women, and digestive diseases for men; 3.81 (1.49–9.74). The uCd was significantly associated with mortality from heart failure in women and digestive diseases in men, after adjustment for other causes of death using the Fine and Gray competing risk regression model. For participants with a urinary β2-MG of ≥1000, no significant association was observed between uCd and any major cause of death. In the absence of kidney damage, Cd may increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and digestive diseases.
BACKGROUNDItai-itai disease is caused by environmental cadmium (Cd) pollution in the Jinzu River basin in Japan. To reduce the Cd contamination of rice, soil restoration of paddy fields was carried ...out. We evaluated the effect of soil restoration on the health status of residents of the former Cd-polluted area. METHODSParticipants were 1,030 men and 944 women who lived in the area of restoration of Cd-polluted rice paddies. First morning urine was collected and urinary Cd, β2-microglobulin (β2MG), and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were measured. Associations among age, years of residence before and after soil restoration, and urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG levels were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. RESULTSThe geometric mean (interquartile range) of urinary Cd (µg/g Cr) was 1.00 (0.58-1.68) in men and 1.67 (1.02-2.91) in women. The geometric means of urinary β2MG (µg/g Cr) and NAG (U/g Cr) were 174.6 (92.6-234.2) and 1.47 (0.72-3.14) in men, and 217.6 (115.3-28.7) and 1.48 (0.73-2.96) in women, respectively. Urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.01 all). Age and duration of residence in the Cd-polluted area before soil restoration were independently associated with urinary Cd, β2MG, and NAG. Among the 916 participants who had resided in the area before the soil restoration, urinary Cd concentrations were significantly higher, thus by 1.03-fold (95% CI, 1.01-1.04) in men and 1.03-fold (95% CI, 1.01-1.05) in women, when the years of residence before soil restoration by each 5-years increment. By contrast, urinary Cd concentrations were significantly lower, thus 0.97-fold (95% CI, 0.96-0.99) lower in men and 0.97-fold (95% CI, 0.95-0.99) lower in women, by each 5-year increment of residence after soil restoration. A similar association was observed for urinary β2MG concentration, and no significant association was observed for urinary NAG levels in men or women. CONCLUSIONSCd exposure and associated renal tubular dysfunction in residents of a former Cd-polluted area were influenced by Cd exposure from the environment prior to soil restoration. Soil restoration in Cd-polluted areas reduced the Cd exposure of local residents.
In an operation by United States Armed Forces during 1961 to 1971, large quantities of herbicides were sprayed in South Vietnam. These herbicides contained 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin ...(2,3,7,8-tetraCDD), the most toxic congener of dioxins. Several decades after the herbicide spraying ceased, dioxin concentrations in the environment and human remained elevated in the sprayed areas. Breast milk samples from 520 nursing mothers residing in areas including the hot spots as well as the sprayed and unsprayed areas were collected to quantify the levels of dioxins. The total toxic equivalents of 2,3,7,8-substitued PCDDs/PCDFs in breast milk of mothers living in the hot spots, and the sprayed and unsprayed areas were 14.10 pg/g lipid, 10.89 pg/g lipid, and 4.09 pg/g lipid for primiparae and 11.48 pg/g lipid, 7.56 pg/g lipid, and 2.84 pg/g lipid for multiparae, respectively, with significant differences in the values among the three areas. In the hot spots, dioxin levels were highly correlated with the residency of mothers after adjustment for their age and parity.
Objectives
The increasing number of working elderly people has enhanced the importance of workplace health promotion activities. We investigated the association between the health status of workers ...approximately 60 years of age and the risk of all‐cause mortality after compulsory retirement in Japan.
Methods
The 2026 participants (1299 males and 727 females) had retired from a metal‐products factory at ≥60 years of age. Baseline health examinations were conducted at 60 years of age and included questions about medical history and lifestyle factors; the participants also underwent a physical examination. The participants were followed up annually by mail for an average of 7.4 years. The association between health status at age 60 years and the risk of all‐cause mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
Results
During the study, 71 deaths were reported. The age‐ and sex‐adjusted hazard ratio (HR 95% confidence interval) for all‐cause mortality was higher for males (HR, 3.41 1.73‐6.69) compared with females, participants with a low body mass index (<18.5 kg/m2; HR 3.84 1.91‐7.73) compared with normal body weight, smokers (HR, 2.63 1.51‐4.58) compared with nonsmokers, and those with three or more of four metabolic abnormalities (obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance) (HR 2.29 1.04‐5.02) compared with no metabolic abnormalities. The associations were unaffected by adjustment for these factors.
Conclusion
Maintenance of an appropriate body weight, smoking cessation, and elimination of metabolic syndrome are required for older workers to prevent early death after retirement.
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