Current Situation and Causes Analysis of Cadmium Pollution in the Kakehashi River Basin.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a public environmental problem worthy of attention. Long-term exposure to Cd may have adverse effects on human health. Our previous study showed that urinary concentration of Cd (U-Cd) in the residents decreased when Cd-polluted paddy soil was removed.

A 30-year follow-up study in a former cadmium-polluted area of Japan: the relationship between cadmium exposure and β-microglobulin in the urine of Japanese people.

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant. Long-term exposure to Cd may lead to adverse health effects in humans. Our epidemiological studies showed that urinary Cd (U-Cd) concentrations increased from 2008 through 2014, although they decreased from 1986 through 2008.

Decreased serum testosterone levels associated with 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in 7-year-old children from a dioxin-exposed area of Vietnam.

Since 2008, we have conducted epidemiological cohort studies on the relationship between dioxin exposure and disruption with children in the area sprayed with defoliants during the Vietnam War. In a long-term survey of children through the age of five, we observed androgen disruption due to decreased dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone levels. In this study of 7-year-old, we separately elucidated androgen disruption for boys and girls, and discussed with respect to hormone disruption with sex differences on the steroid hormone biosynthesis process.

Association of dioxin in maternal breast milk and salivary steroid hormone levels in preschool children: A five-year follow-up study of a Vietnam cohort.

Recent studies have found elevated dioxin levels inside some former US military air bases in Vietnam, known as hotspots. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of dioxin exposure and steroid hormone in preschool children in Vietnam. In 2010, 2011, 52 primiparae mother-infant pairs in the hotspot and 52 pairs in a non-exposure region were enrolled.

Androgen disruption by dioxin exposure in 5-year-old Vietnamese children: Decrease in serum testosterone level.

Dioxins have been suspected to be potential substances causing endocrine disruptions in humans. We are conducting the research in one of three dioxin exposure areas (hotspots) in Vietnam. We previously reported that the salivary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) level decreased in 3-year-old Vietnamese children and that it was significantly inversely correlated with polychlorinated dibenzodioxin/dibenzofuran levels in their mother's breast milk.

Effects of aging on cadmium concentrations and renal dysfunction in inhabitants in cadmium-polluted regions in Japan.

The absorption of cadmium (Cd) may lead to Cd-related diseases such as renal tubular dysfunction and bone disease, and it is known to take around 10-30 years to reduce Cd concentrations to half their original levels. Urinary β -microglobulin (β -MG), N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), protein, glucose and albumin were used as indicators of renal dysfunction caused by Cd exposure. Our previous study found that urinary Cd concentrations had increased recently and that age was more strongly associated with urinary β -MG concentration than recent Cd body burden.

A 28-year observational study of urinary cadmium and β -microglobulin concentrations in inhabitants in cadmium-polluted areas in Japan.

The biological half-life of cadmium (Cd) is as long as 10-30 years. Exposure to this element induces renal tubular dysfunction, which is considered irreversible. β -microglobulin (β -MG) is a low-molecular-weight protein, and urinary β -MG is one of the most useful and critical indicators for the early detection of renal tubular dysfunction.