Person: Weber, Till
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Veröffentlichung Long-term monitoring of mercury in young German adults: Time trend analyses from the German Environmental Specimen Bank, 1995-2018(2022) Bartel-Steinbach, Martina; Lermen, Dominik; Conrad, André; Gwinner, Frederik; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Weber, TillAs highlighted in the Minamata Convention, Mercury (Hg) in its various forms poses a substantial risk to human health and the environment. The health relevance of Hg is also recognized by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), which classifies Hg as a priority substance, since considerable knowledge and data gaps on Hg exposure levels and their changes over time still exist in Europe. The German Environmental Specimen Bank (German ESB) provides valuable policy relevant data and long-term trends of substance exposure on a national level for international comparison and evaluation. In this study we analysed data of the German ESB on Hg exposure of young adults aged 20 to 29 including data on urinary Hg levels from 1995 to 2018 and whole blood Hg levels from 2001 to 2010. Results show a clear decrease in both, about 86% in urine total daily Hg excretion from 1995 (0.76 (micro)g/L) to 2018 (0.11 (micro)g/L) (n = 10,069) and about 57% in blood concentrations of Hg from 2001 (1.76 (micro)g/L) to 2010 (0.77 (micro)g/L) (n = 4085). Over the investigated timeframe only a few values exceeded the toxicologically derived health based guidance value HBM I for blood and urine, with these exceedances decreasing over time in line with the general trend. The factors mostly influencing Hg excretion identified in this study are dental amalgam as well as fish and seafood consumption. Besides other factors (e.g. age and sex), also airborne Hg exposure appears to be a low but evident influencing factor in Germany. Although a considerable decrease in internal Hg exposure is recognized in the last decades, the current low-level exposure may cause adverse health effects especially to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children. To further elucidate and evaluate current exposure sources and to reduce human exposure to Hg, continuous environmental and human biomonitoring is needed. © 2022 The Authors.Veröffentlichung Long-term time trend of lead exposure in young German adults - evaluation of more than 35 years of data of the German Environmental Specimen Bank(2021) Lermen, Dominik; Göen, Thomas; Weber, Till; Conrad, André; Rüther, Maria; Kolossa-Gehring, MarikeLead is a ubiquitous pollutant with well-known effects on human health. As there is no lower toxicological threshold for lead in blood and since data gaps on lead exposure still exist in many European countries, HBM data on lead is of high importance. To address this, the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative HBM4EU classified lead as a priority substance. The German Environmental Specimen Bank (German ESB) has monitored lead exposure since more than 35 years. Using data from the early 1980s to 2019 we reveal and discuss long-term trends in blood lead levels (BLLs) and current internal exposure of young adults in Germany. BLLs in young adults decreased substantially in the investigated period. As results from the ESB sampling site Muenster demonstrate, the geometric mean of BLLs of young adults decreased from 1981 (78,7 (my)g/L) to 2019 (10.4 (my)g/L) by about 87%. Trends in human exposure closely correlate with air lead levels (ALLs) provided by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP). Hence, the decrease of BLLs largely reflects the drop in air lead pollution. Known associations of sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and housing situation with BLLs are confirmed with data of the German ESB. Although internal lead exposure in Germany decreased substantially, the situation might be different in other European countries. Since 2010, BLLs of young adults in Germany levelled out at approximately 10 (my)g/L. The toxicity of lead even at low levels is known to cause adverse health effects especially in children following exposure of the child or the mother during pregnancy. To identify current exposure sources and to minimize future lead exposure, continuous monitoring of lead intake and exposure levels is needed. © 2020 The AuthorsVeröffentlichung Trends in characteristics of 24-h urine samples and their relevance for human biomonitoring studies - 20 years of experience in the German Environmental Specimen Bank(2019) Lermen, Dominik; Bartel-Steinbach, Martina; Conrad, André; Gwinner, Frederik; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Weber, TillTo document trends in human exposure to environmental pollutants, the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) has been routinely collecting and archiving 24-h urine samples from young adults at four sampling sites in Germany on an annual basis. For the purpose of normalizing measured analyte concentrations, urinary creatinine (UC), specific gravity (SG), conductivity (CON), and total urine volume (UVtot) of 24-h urine samples have also been recorded. These parameters are however susceptible to variation over time, as well as within/among participants and normalization against them can thus affect the interpretation of data regarding exposure to environmental pollutants. To evaluate the influence of normalization against these parameters, we first sought to determine variations of these parameters with regard to differences between sexes and trends over time. We analysed data from 8619 urine samples collected from 1997 to 2016. We observed an inverse relation between UVtot and UC, SG, and CON. We also found differences between sexes for UC, SG and CON, but not UVtot. UC, SG, and CON showed significant decreasing trends over time in both sexes. In contrast, a significant increase of over 30% in UVtot, independent of participant age and BMI, was revealed. This increase in UVtot and the concomitant sample dilution is likely to have an impact on measured analyte concentrations in 24-h urine samples. Hence, normalization of urinary concentrations is warranted when interpreting time trends of human exposure. Next, urinary calcium (Ca2+) concentrations of ESB participants were used to demonstrate the effects of normalization against each of the four urine parameters. From 1997 to 2016, measured Ca2+ concentrations showed a statistically significant but scientifically implausible decrease. Normalization of Ca2+ concentrations against UVtot (by calculating the total daily excretion), UC, or CON, but not SG, eliminated this decrease. Consistent with previous work, Ca2+ concentrations in urine and total daily Ca2+ excretion were higher for males than females. Normalization against UC, SG, or CON, however, attenuated this difference. Thus, to avoid misinterpretation in trend analysis and sex-specific excretion in 24-h urine samples, the calculation of the total daily excretion is recommended.