Cadmium and nickel in blood of Tunisian population and risk of nasosinusal polyposis disease

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2015-03, Vol.22 (5), p.3586-3593
• Main Authors: Khlifi, Rim, Olmedo, Pablo, Gil, Fernando, Hammami, Bouthaina, Hamza-Chaffai, Amel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Aquatic Pollution; Asthma; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Blood; Cadmium; Cadmium - blood; Cadmium - toxicity; Case-Control Studies; Chronic illnesses; Consumption; correlation; Disease; Drinking water; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Endoscopy; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; environmental exposure; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental factors; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Environmental science; exposure assessment; Female; Heavy metals; Hospitals; Human exposure; Humans; Inflammatory diseases; Legal medicine; Male; mastication; Metals; Middle Aged; nasal cavity; nasal mucosa; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - chemically induced; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - epidemiology; Nickel; Nickel - blood; Nickel - toxicity; Nose; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Odds Ratio; Otolaryngology; Pathogenesis; pathophysiology; Patients; Pollution; Polyps; Population; Research Article; Risk Factors; Smoking; smoking (habit); Smoking - adverse effects; Studies; Textile fibers; Tobacco; toxicity; Toxicology; Tunisia - epidemiology; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3619-8

Nasosinusal polyposis (NSP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa. Although the pathophysiology underlying NSP formation is not fully understood, environmental factors appear to be contributed the development of this disease. A case–control study of Tunisian patients was examined to assess the levels of cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) in blood and reparse the association between the exposure to these metals and the risk of nasosinusal polyposis disease. Mean blood levels of Cd in patients (2.2 ± 12.8 μg/L) were significantly higher than those of controls (0.5 ± 0.7 μg/L). Levels of blood Cd were positively correlated with tobacco smoking and chewing among controls. The Cd and Ni concentrations among control (p = 0.001) and patient (p = 0.018) tobacco consumers (smoking, chewing, and shisha) were significantly higher than those nonconsumers. Additionally, Ni blood levels of patient and control smokers were significantly higher than those of nonsmokers. Cd levels in blood samples of NSP patients occupationally exposed for more than 14 years were eight times higher than that of nonexposed. Drinking water was also found to be incriminated as exposure sources. Among risk factors, shisha consumption, environmental exposure, and occupational exposure presented the most significant association with NSP disease (odds ratio (OR) = 14.1, 10.1, and 1.7, respectively). High levels of blood Cd (OR = 3.5) were strongly associated with NSP disease (p = 0.027). Ni blood levels were shown to be associated with the four stages of polyps in both nasal cavities (right and left) (p