Micronutrient intake is associated with reductions in chemical exposure effects on blood pressure of electronic waste recyclers at Agbogbloshie, Ghana

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Increasing evidence suggests that chemical exposures may influence micronutrient status and further induce certain disease outcomes like hypertension- even at lower levels of exposure. This study, therefore, investigated whether micronutrient-rich diet intake may reduce the adverse effects of heavy metals and rare earth elements released during informal recycling of e-waste on blood pressure (BP) of e-waste recyclers in Ghana. METHODS: Blood and urine samples were collected from 100 e-waste recyclers and 51 controls in March 2017 and analyzed for chemicals (cadmium, lead (Pb), arsenic (As), Terbium, Thallium (Tl), and Cerium) and micronutrients (calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, and copper) using the ICP-MS. Dietary micronutrient intake was assessed using a 2-day-24-hour-dietary-recall. Cardiovascular indices (systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and arterial pressure (AP)) were measured using a sphygmomanometer. Joint associations between chemicals, micronutrients and BP indices were modelled using simple linear regressions. RESULTS:Urinary As and Pb as well as blood levels of TI were significantly associated with increases in SBP, AP and pulse pressure in both groups and still similar when analyses were limited to only recyclers. Nonetheless, dietary intake of calcium and iron-rich diets were associated with significant reductions in SBP, DBP and AP in both groups. Further in the joint model, consumption of Fe-rich diets were associated with significant reductions in SBP (β= -0.070; 95% CI: -0.131, -0.009; p = 0.026), DBP (β= -0.085; 95% CI: -0.167, -0.004; p = 0.040), and AP (β= -0.080; 95% CI: -0.143, -0.016; p = 0.014), despite the particularly high exposure of e-waste recyclers to Pb. CONCLUSIONS:Although the body burden of Pb, As and Tl seem to be associated with and serve as predictors of hypertension, the consumption of Fe-rich foods were associated with significant reductions in SBP, DBP and AP of e-waste recyclers even at high exposures of these chemicals. KEYWORDS: Chemical exposures, cardiovascular diseases, food/ nutrition