'Combined lead-mercury-cadmium exposure pushes hypertension risk 1.8 times higher’

Combined exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, increases the risk of developing hypertension by 1.8 times, according to a new study.

A team of researchers from the Institute of Medicine at Seoul Medical Center announced on Monday that they analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate the link between heavy metals and hypertension.

The researchers found that combined exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium increased the risk of hypertension compared to single heavy metal exposure. In the highest quartile of exposure, single-metal risks were 1.45 times higher for lead, 1.29 times higher for mercury, and 1.61 times higher for cadmium. Combined exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium was associated with a 1.78-fold risk of hypertension.

“Most studies on heavy metals to date have assessed the risk of single heavy metals, but this study used statistical techniques from AI to examine the risk of combined exposure to heavy metals,” said Kim Do-hee, a senior researcher.

Kim Kyu-sang, director of the institute (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) who oversaw the study, said, “Heavy metal poisoning due to prolonged exposure can be fatal to health, so continuous monitoring and caution are necessary.”

The study, “Effect of combined exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium on hypertension,” was recently published in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health.