Urinary Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Metals and Metalloids Among Women Residing in Northern Mexico

Environmental exposure to some metals and metalloids has been linked to several health risks, including cancer, and in Mexico it has been poorly studied. Our objective was to describe the urinary concentrations of potentially toxic metal(loids) in a sample of Northern Mexican women, according to selected characteristics. From 998 women living in Northern Mexico that participated in a case-control study, we measured the urinary concentration of potentially toxic elements (arsenic, aluminium, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, antimony, cobalt, molybdenum, tin, and vanadium) using matrix-matched calibration standards by Agilent 8800 inductively coupled plasma triple quad (ICP-QQQ). In addition, we obtained information about sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco through an in-person interview. We used QGIS software to geographically locate metal(loid) urinary concentrations within the study area. We also compared the elements with their comparison values (Biomonitoring Equivalents, Biological Exposure Indices, Biological Tolerance Value at the Workplace or Tentative Maximum Permissible Concentration) and used linear regression models to investigate the association of each independent variable with each metal(loid). Participants ' metal(loid) concentrations were above their comparison value of toxicity in 78%, 39% and 7% for arsenic, aluminium, and cadmium, respectively. In addition, 44% of the sample had molybdenum concentrations under the minimal nutritional value. Age, education, body mass index, tobacco use, and state of residence were associated with some metal(loid) concentrations. Besides arsenic, aluminium emerged as a potential relevant environmental contaminant in the study area. Education might be a key element for the prevention and control of metal exposure.