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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Depression and anxiety in a manganese-exposed community.

Authors: Racette, Brad A; Nelson, Gill; Dlamini, Wendy W; Hershey, Tamara; Prathibha, Pradeep; Turner, Jay R; Checkoway, Harvey; Sheppard, Lianne; Searles Nielsen, Susan

Published In Neurotoxicology, (2021 07)

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To characterize the association between residential environmental manganese (Mn) exposure and depression and anxiety, given prior associations among occupationally-exposed workers. METHODS: We administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to 697 study participants in their preferred languages. These participants represented a population-based sample of residents aged ≥40 from two predominantly Black African communities in Gauteng province, South Africa: 605 in Meyerton, adjacent to a large Mn smelter, and 92 in Ethembalethu, a comparable non-exposed community. We investigated the associations between community (Meyerton vs. Ethembalethu) and severity of depression and anxiety, using linear regression, adjusting for age and sex. To document community-level differences in Mn exposure, we measured airborne PM2.5-Mn. RESULTS: Meyerton residents had BDI scores 5.63 points (95 % CI 3.07, 8.20) higher than Ethembalethu residents, with all questions contributing to this significant difference. STAI-state scores were marginally higher in Meyerton than Ethembalethu residents [2.12 (95 % CI -0.17, 4.41)], whereas STAI-trait scores were more similar between the communities [1.26 (95 % CI -0.82, 3.35)]. Mean PM2.5-Mn concentration was 203 ng/m3 at a long-term fixed site in Meyerton and 10 ng/m3 in Ethembalethu. CONCLUSION: Residence near Mn emission sources may be associated with greater depression symptomatology, and possibly current, but not lifetime, anxiety.

PubMed ID: 34087333 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety/chemically induced*; Anxiety/epidemiology; Anxiety/psychology; Depression/chemically induced*; Depression/epidemiology; Depression/psychology; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*; Female; Humans; Independent Living*/trends; Male; Manganese/adverse effects*; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales*; South Africa/epidemiology

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