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Disproprtionate Exposure to Hazardous Heavy Metals Among Asian Americans: Findings from the 2011-12 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Prior studies suggest that Asian Americans suffer disproportionate exposure to several environmental toxicants. Some of these exposures stem from food sources, such as arsenic in rice, and mercury in fish. Others stem from industrial sources that may be particularly evident among immigrant Asian Americans. For example, cadmium is produced heavily in China and Japan.
Despite strong evidence to suggest greater exposure among Asian Americans, there have been no nationally representative studies to document these claims.
Objectives/Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hypothesis that Asian Americans show disproportionate bodyburdens of mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead.
Methods
Data come from the 2011-12 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), with large samples of African Americans (n=2,683), Asian Americans (n=1,282), Mexican Americans (n=1,355), and Whites (n=2,973). This is the first time that NHANES has conducted an oversample of Asian Americans.
Mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead were obtained from urine or blood samples. Preliminary analyses estimated weighted descriptive characteristics by race. Future analyses will employ regression with additional covariates (e.g. nativity, occupation, diet).
Results
Preliminary results suggest that Asian Americans have higher bodyburdens of these metals compared to other racial groups. The medium blood mercury level for Asian Americans was 2.31 ug/L compared to 0.63 ug/L for Blacks, 0.63 ug/L for Whites, and 0.48 ug/L for Mexican Amerians. Similar patterns emerged for urinary arsenic (15.84; 8.17; 5.05; 6.9 respectively), blood lead (1.14; 0.91; 0.96; and 0.78 respectively), and cadmium (0.39; 0.26; 0.25; 0.20, respectively). All estimates are reported in units of ug/L. After controlling for age and sex, Asian Americans showed significantly higher levels of all 4 compounds compared with whites.
Discussion/Conclusions
Preliminarily, this study provides the first nationally representative data with objective biomarkers that show disparities in exposure to heavy metals among Asian Americans. This potentially serious environmental justice issue deserves further investigation.
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health educationEnvironmental health sciences
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify 4 hazardous environmental exposures (arsenic, mercury, cadmium, lead) that appear higher among Asian Americans.
Discuss potential pathways that may lead to greater exposure among Asian Americans.
Describe potential disparities in exposure between Asian Americans and other groups (African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites).
Keyword(s): Asian Americans, Environmental Justice
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have assisted with the data analysis and interpretation of the study of disproportionate exposure to hazardous heavy metals among Asian Americans using the 2011-12 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. My research focuses on issues relating to environmental justice and health disparities, especially for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I am especially interested in the intersections of social and physical stressors, including chemical exposure, the built environment, and psychosocial stress.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.