Dose–Response Relationship between Environmental Exposure to Nickel and Pulmonary Function in the Korean General Population Aged 40 or Older

Abstract

Nickel is a well-known skin allergen; however, few studies to date have investigated the association between nickel exposure and lung function impairment. The present study, therefore, evaluated the relationship between blood nickel concentrations and lung function profiles in the Korean general population (n = 1098). Dose–response relationships between blood nickel quartiles and pulmonary function were assessed by sex in multivariate models, after adjustment for potentially confounding factors such as age, height, and smoking status. Quartiles of blood nickel concentrations were significantly associated with markers of pulmonary function in Korean men, such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced expiratory flow 25–75% (FEF25–75%). Relative to the first quartile, the estimated coefficients (standard error (SE)) of blood nickel levels for FEV1 in the third and fourth quartiles of Korean men were −126.6 mL (59.1) and −138.5 mL (59.8), respectively (p < 0.05). Relative to the first quartile, the estimated coefficients (SE) of blood nickel levels for FEF25–75% in the second and fourth quartiles were −244.9 mL (109.5) and −266.8 mL (111.5), respectively (p < 0.05). Dose–response relationships were observed between quartiles of blood nickel concentrations and the pulmonary function markers FEV1 and FEF25–75% in Korean men aged 40 or older.