Essential metals--case study on iron

Our plain-English summary of Essential metals--case study on iron, by E.S. Gurzau, C. Neagu, A.E. Gurzau (Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2003).

The study

• Authors: E.S. Gurzau, C. Neagu, A.E. Gurzau
• Journal: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
• Published: 2003;56(1):190-200
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 68 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Iron is a vital element in life. Because of the insolubility of iron oxides and sulfides the implication is that dissolved iron was fairly abundant and that oxygen and sulfide were rare in the atmosphere and ocean. Iron and its compounds present as pollutants in the atmosphere can cause deleterious effects to humans, animals, and materials. Analyses of urban air samples show that the iron content averages 1.6 microg/m(3), with the iron and steel industry probably the most likely source of emission. Iron is a natural component of soils and its concentration can be influenced by some industries. Iron concentration in surface water varies greatly, from 61 ppm to 2680 ppm. The disposition of iron in the human body is regulated by a complex mechanism to maintain homeostasis. Iron concentrations in body tissues must be tightly regulated because excessive iron leads to tissue damage, as a result of formation of free radicals. Iron has the capacity to accept and donate electrons readily. The content of body iron is regulated primarily by absorption since humans have no physiological mechanism by which excess iron is excreted. Iron has been identified as a component of asbestos and other mineral and synthetic fibers. Inhalation of iron oxide fumes or dust by workers in the metal industries may result in deposition of iron particles in lungs, producing an X-ray appearance resembling silicosis. During the last decades efforts regarding dietary iron supply focused mostly on the prevention of deficiencies, especially during growth and pregnancy. The chemical form of the iron influences absorption, as do interrelationships with other dietary components.

In plain English

This article was a narrative review of published research on iron, not an original study. The authors summarized literature on iron in air, soil, water and plants, how the human body absorbs and stores iron, diseases of iron deficiency and iron overload, iron in food, and how readily the body takes up different forms of iron. A short section dealt with asbestos. It stated that iron has been identified as a component of asbestos and other mineral and synthetic fibers, and that lipid peroxidation and DNA damage have been reported to be related to the iron in fibers. It also stated that how easily iron can be removed from fibers by chelators (substances that bind metals) has been reported to differ between fiber types, including different kinds of asbestos fibers. No specific asbestos fiber types were named. On workplace exposure, the review described iron particles deposited in the lungs of hematite miners, iron and steel workers, and arc welders. It called the resulting pulmonary siderosis a simple pneumoconiosis with a good prognosis, while noting that some recent studies suggest fibrosis may occur.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: narrative review of published literature (no original data collected by the authors)
• Who was studied: No study population; the review drew on published studies of iron in the environment, in animals and in humans, including metal workers
• Exposure: Iron and iron compounds from the environment, food, medicines and workplaces; asbestos and other mineral and synthetic fibers are discussed as iron-containing materials; iron oxide fumes and dust in metal industries
• Main results:
  • The review stated that the production of iron-induced active oxygen species has been reported to be related to the cytotoxicity of certain inhaled fibers
  • The review stated that lipid peroxidation and DNA damage have been reported to be related to iron in fibers
  • The review stated that mobilization of iron from fibers by chelators has been reported to differ between fiber types, including different kinds of asbestos fibers
  • The review stated that lung deposits of iron particles, with an X-ray appearance resembling silicosis, are seen in hematite miners, iron and steel workers, and arc welders
  • The review cited a report on autopsies of hematite miners that noted an increase in lung cancer, tuberculosis and interstitial fibrosis. It stated that the lung cancer may be related to cigarettes or other workplace carcinogens.
  • Iron workers who developed pneumoconiosis have been reported to have exposures above 10 mg Fe/m3
  • The review described pulmonary siderosis as a simple pneumoconiosis with a good prognosis. It noted that some recent studies suggest a more serious outcome with fibrosis.
  • The review cited a study in rats in which no carcinogenic effect could be demonstrated for iron oxides given by intratracheal instillation or intraperitoneal injection
• The authors' conclusion: In the food section, the authors stated that high iron stores may present a health hazard, while noting this has not been finally proven

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Deposition, Silicosis.

Related studies

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• Microsomal lipid peroxidation and oxy-radicals formation are induced by insoluble iron-containing minerals — M. Fontecave, M. Jaouen, et al. (1990)
• Effect of particulates on metabolism and mutagenicity of benzo[a]pyrene — D.R. Bevan, W.E. Manger (1985)
• The chemical environment of iron in mineral fibres. A combined X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopic study — S. Pollastri, F. D'Acapito, et al. (2015)
• A case-control study of mesothelioma in Minnesota iron ore (taconite) miners — C.S. Lambert, B.H. Alexander, et al. (2016)

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