title: Age-relevant renal effects of cadmium exposure through consumption of home-harvested rice in female Japanese farmers.
abstract: There are cadmium-polluted areas in Japan, where farmers may be at risk of renal dysfunction due to cadmium exposure through consumption of home-harvested rice. The aims of this study were to investigate levels of cadmium exposure and accumulation and their renal effects in female farmers residing in cadmium-polluted areas, and to consider the relevance of age to the effects of cadmium. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1200 women (40-79years old) without symptomatic disorders in two cadmium-polluted areas and one unpolluted area as a control. Rice, blood, and urine samples were collected to measure the cadmium levels, together with urinary levels of α1-microglobulin and β2-microglobulin for renal tubular function. Cadmium levels in rice were significantly higher in the polluted areas than control area. Blood and urinary cadmium levels, along with urinary protein levels, were also significantly higher in the polluted areas, especially among the elder subjects. There was one case of cadmium nephropathy in the polluted areas. Age- and urinary cadmium-specific analysis for all the subjects showed a mild linear dose-response relationship between urinary cadmium and proteins in the younger women, and a steep progress of renal dysfunction over the threshold of urinary cadmium (10μg/g creatinine) in the older women. In conclusion, the aged women in the polluted areas showed high accumulation of cadmium and deterioration of renal function through consumption of rice. Also, the aging process itself appeared to contribute to the different renal effects of cadmium observed in the elderly population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan. hhyogo@med.akita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hyogo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oguma
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Fujio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kayama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000510:Alpha-Globulins / Q000652:urine; D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D000510:Alpha-Globulins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C016001:alpha-1-microglobulin; D002104:Cadmium; D003404:Creatinine