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Levels of exposure markers among residents in environmentally vulnerable areas in Korea, the general population in Korea, and Asians in the United States
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Kyung-Hwa Choi, Dahee Han, Sang-Yong Eom, Yong Min Cho, Young Seoub Hong, Woo Jin Kim
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Epidemiol Health. 2025;e2025007. Published online February 25, 2025
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025007
[Accepted]
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Abstract
This study compares biomarker levels among environmentally vulnerable residents in Korea, the general Korean population, and Asians in the United States. We selected 953 exposed residents and 204 controls from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers in Environmental Health Vulnerable Areas (FROM) study (2021-2023), 4,239 participants from the fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020), and 996 Asians from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-March 2020). The analyzed biomarkers included blood and urinary metals, urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nicotine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and serum perfluorocarbon metabolites. The highest median biomarker levels varied by pollution source among older adults. In refineries, blood lead and cadmium (Cd), as well as urinary Cd and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFlu), were highest. Abandoned metal mines exhibited the highest blood and urinary mercury (Hg), urinary Cd, total arsenic (As), 2-naphthol, and cotinine levels. Coal-fired power plants showed the highest urinary 1-PHEN levels, while cement factories had the highest urinary As3+ levels. Sprawls demonstrated the highest urinary monomethylarsonic acid, 1-hydroxypyrene, and phenylglyoxylic acid levels, and industrial areas recorded the highest levels of trans, trans-muconic acid, benzylmercapturic acid, and 2-MHA. In general, biomarker levels were higher among exposed residents in the FROM study than in the general population; however, urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene and As5+ levels did not differ significantly. Exposure to pollution sources in environmentally vulnerable areas may elevate biomarker levels in residents.
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Summary
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Introduction to the forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas (FROM) study
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Jung-Yeon Kwon, Woo Jin Kim, Yong Min Cho, Byoung-gwon Kim, Seungho Lee, Jee Hyun Rho, Sang-Yong Eom, Dahee Han, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Jang-Hee Lee, Jeeyoung Kim, Sungho Won, Hee-Gyoo Kang, Sora Mun, Hyun Ju Yoo, Jung-Woong Kim, Kwan Lee, Won-Ju Park, Seongchul Hong, Young-Seoub Hong
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Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024062. Published online July 12, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024062
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Abstract
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Abstract
This research group (forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas: FROM) aimed to develop biomarkers for exposure to environmental hazards and diseases, assess environmental diseases, and apply and verify these biomarkers in environmentally vulnerable areas. Environmentally vulnerable areas—including refineries, abandoned metal mines, coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, cement factories, and areas with high exposure to particulate matter—along with control areas, were selected for epidemiological investigations. A total of 1,157 adults, who had resided in these areas for over 10 years, were recruited between June 2021 and September 2023. Personal characteristics of the study participants were gathered through a survey. Biological samples, specifically blood and urine, were collected during the field investigations, separated under refrigerated conditions, and then transported to the laboratory for biomarker analysis. Analyses of heavy metals, environmental hazards, and adducts were conducted on these blood and urine samples. Additionally, omics analyses of epigenomes, proteomes, and metabolomes were performed using the blood samples. The biomarkers identified in this study will be utilized to assess the risk of environmental disease occurrence and to evaluate the impact on the health of residents in environmentally vulnerable areas, following the validation of diagnostic accuracy for these diseases.
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Summary
Korean summary
환경보건 취약지역 주민을 대상으로 실시한 현장 역학 조사에서 혈액과 소변 시료를 안정적으로 확보하였다. 현장에서 확보한 시료는 즉시 이송하여 오믹스 분석을 통해 환경유해인자별, 환경성질환별 특이적인 바이오마커를 개발한다.
Key Message
Blood and urine samples were stably obtained from on-site epidemiological investigations done on residents in environmental health vulnerable areas, and samples obtained from the sites were immediately transported to the omics laboratory after separation under biobank system. Through this analysis, we aimed to develop biomarkers specific to each environmental hazard and disease.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by  - Heavy metal exposure and its effects on APOC3, CFAI, and ZA2G
Nam-Eun Kim, Min Heo, Hyeongyu Shin, Ah Ra Do, Jeeyoung Kim, Hee-Gyoo Kang, Sora Mun, Hyun Ju Yoo, Mi Jeong Kim, Jung-Woong Kim, Chul-Hong Kim, Young-Seoub Hong, Yong Min Cho, Heejin Jin, Kyungtaek Park, Woo Jin Kim, Sungho Won
Journal of Hazardous Materials.2025; 482: 136574. CrossRef - A Comparative Study on the Paradoxical Relationship Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Kidney Function
Jee Hyun Rho, Seungho Lee, Jung-Yeon Kwon, Young-Seoub Hong
Diagnostics.2025; 15(1): 86. CrossRef
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