Association of Strontium Exposure with Liver Function: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Mining Area in Hunan, China

Previous studies found that some metals could affect liver function. However, the effect of strontium (Sr) exposure on function has not been evaluated. A cross-sectional study involved 1021 residents from a mining area in Hunan Province, China. This was conducted to first investigate effects Sr alone as well combined with five other heavy metals, including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) Liver determined by detecting level alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL) serum. The plasma concentrations Sr, Pb, Cd, Mn, Zn, Cu were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, history disease assessed questionnaire. Then association between analyzed multiple linear regression Bayesian kernel machine Regression (BKMR). positive correlation ALT AST [ALT (β = 15.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.37, 21.75, P < 0.05), 9.92, CI 3.72, 16.11, 0.05)] model. According BKMR, Cu, had synergistic Our findings suggest may be an independent risk factor for injury relationship Pb.