Environmental toxic metal contaminants and risk of Cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies involving over 348,000 participants investigated the association between arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, and copper exposure and cardiovascular disease. The analysis revealed that exposure to arsenic, lead, cadmium, and copper was linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, with a linear dose-response relationship observed for arsenic, lead, and cadmium. Notably, mercury did not show a significant association with cardiovascular outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of environmental toxic metals in cardiovascular risk, adding to the known contributions of traditional behavioral risk factors.