Personal exposure to PM2.5-bound heavy metals associated with cardiopulmonary function in general population

To better understand the cardiopulmonary alterations associated with personal exposed PM2.5-bound heavy meals, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 2018 on 54 general residents. For each subject, PM2.5 exposure filter was collected by a low-volume sampler for 24 h; blood and urine samples were collected subsequently. Heavy metals in PM2.5, blood, and urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. PM2.5-bound Mn, Cd, Sb, Pb, and Ni levels were 20.5, 9.27, 9.59, 28.3, and 16.9 ng/m3, respectively. The distribution of these metals followed the order: Pb (33.47%) > Mn (24.24%) > Ni (19.99%) > Sb (11.34%) > Cd (10.96%). The distribution of heavy meals in PM2.5, blood, and urine differed from each other. PM2.5-bound Cd, Pb levels were positively correlated with blood Cd, Pb levels (r = 0.323, r = 0.334, p < 0.05), respectively. PM2.5-bound Cd level was significantly higher in smoking group than non-smoking group (28.8 vs. 7.27 ng/m3, p < 0.01), same as Sb level (12.0 vs. 9.34 ng/m3, p < 0.01). Cd and Pb exposure might interact with cardiovascular function through autonomic regulation. No significant correlation was observed between metal exposure and pulmonary function. In conclusion, our data suggested that personal exposure to specific PM2.5-bound heavy metals might interact with profound cardiovascular alterations.