title: Ambient Melamine Exposure and Urinary Biomarkers of Early Renal Injury.
abstract: Information about environmental exposure to melamine and renal injury in adults is lacking. We investigated this relationship in 44 workers at two melamine tableware manufacturing factories in Taiwan (16 manufacturers, eight grinders, ten packers, and ten administrators) and 105 nonexposed workers (controls) at one shipbuilding company who were enrolled in August-December of 2012. For melamine workers, personal and area air samples were obtained at the worksite over 1 workweek (Monday-Friday). In the same week, pre- and post-shift one-spot urine samples were collected each workday and one first-spot urine sample was collected on each weekend morning and the following Monday morning. For each control, a one-spot urine sample was collected on Friday morning. A blood sample was also obtained from each participant at this time. Melamine levels were measured in air, urine, and serum, and early renal injury biomarkers were measured in urine. Urinary melamine concentrations in manufacturers increased sharply between pre- and post-shift measurements on Monday, remained significantly elevated throughout the workweek, and decreased over the weekend; changes in urinary melamine concentrations were substantially lower for other melamine workers. Manufacturers were exposed to the highest concentrations of ambient melamine and had significantly higher urinary and serum melamine concentrations than did the controls (P<0.001). Urinary melamine levels were positively associated with urinary N-acetyl β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels but not microalbumin levels, and the detectable β2-microglobulin rate increased in the manufacturers group. In conclusion, ambient melamine exposure may increase the levels of urinary biomarkers of renal tubular injury in this occupational setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Chia-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Chiung-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Pingtung Hospital, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Pingtung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Chia-Chu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Hepatology, Kaohsiung Medicine University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medicine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medicine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Wen-Yi
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Occupational Safety and Health, Institute of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, Taipei, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Chih-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Ching-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Genome Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Tusty-Jiuan
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Bai-Hsiun
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Center of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 960021@ms.kmuh.org.tw e_encourage@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ming-Tsang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D000418:Albumins / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013624:Taiwan; D014227:Triazines / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000418:Albumins; D015415:Biomarkers; D014227:Triazines; D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase; C011907:melamine
keywords: biomarkers of renal tubular injury; chronic kidney disease; chronic renal failure; clinical epidemiology; nephrotoxicity