ArticleBMJ open2014
Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.
Article in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
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- A longitudinal metabolomics study on blood mercury and depressive symptoms.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A prospective study of a whole blood metal mixture and depressive symptoms among Black women from Detroit, Michigan.Neurotoxicology · 2025Article
- The interpretable machine learning model for depression associated with heavy metals via EMR mining method.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic in Edible Tissues of Guinea Pigs Raised in the Central Andes of Peru: Potential Human Health Risk?Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Moderating effects of insomnia on the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students: focus on gender differences.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Associations Between Brominated Flame Retardant Exposure and Depression in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Toxics · 2024Article
- The association of early life factors with depression and anxiety in adults aged 40-69 years: a population-based cohort study.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic in Raw Milk Produced in the Vicinity of a Mini Mineral Concentrator in the Central Andes and Health Risk.Biological trace element research · 2024Article
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- Trace Elements Levels in Major Depressive Disorder-Evaluation of Potential Threats and Possible Therapeutic Approaches.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic in Raw Cow's Milk in a Central Andean Area and Risks for the Peruvian Populations.Toxics · 2023Article
- The Contribution of Environmental Science to Mental Health Research: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Early pregnancy essential and non-essential metal mixtures and maternal antepartum and postpartum depressive symptoms.Neurotoxicology · 2023Article
- Machine learning model for depression based on heavy metals among aging people: A study with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- High Cadmium Levels in Individuals with Depressive Mood: Results from the 2008-2013 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey.Iranian journal of public health · 2021Article
- Prenatal metal mixtures and sex-specific infant negative affectivity.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2021Article
- Chronic depression-like phenotype in male offspring mice following perinatal exposure to naturally contaminated eels with a mixture of organic and inorganic pollutants.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesPersistent environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have a ubiquitous presence. Many of these pollutants affect neurobiological processes, either accidentally or by design. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between assayed measures of POPs and heavy metals and depressive symptoms. We hypothesised that higher levels of pollutants and metals would be associated with depressive symptoms.
settingNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
participantsA total of 15 140 eligible people were included across the three examined waves of NHANES. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Depressive symptoms were assessed using the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), using a cut-off point of 9/10 as likely depression cases. Organic pollutants and heavy metals, including cadmium, lead and mercury, as well as polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs), pesticides, phenols and phthalates, were measured in blood or urine.
resultsHigher cadmium was positively associated with depression (adjusted Prevalence Ratios (PR)=1.48, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.90). Higher levels of mercury were negatively associated with depression (adjusted PR=0.62, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.78), and mercury was associated with increased fish consumption (n=5500, r=0.366, p<0.001). In addition, several PFCs (perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, perfluorodecanoic acid and perfluorononanoic acid) were negatively associated with the prevalence of depression.
conclusionsCadmium was associated with an increased likelihood of depression. Contrary to hypotheses, many of persistent environmental pollutants were not associated or negatively associated with depression. While the inverse association between mercury and depressive symptoms may be explained by a protective role for fish consumption, the negative associations with other pollutants remains unclear. This exploratory study suggests the need for further investigation of the role of various agents and classes of agents in the pathophysiology of depression.
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