Unraveling the impact of chronic exposure to metal pollution through human gallstones Parviainen, Annika Jenni Johana Marchesi, Claudio Suárez-Grau, Juan Manuel Garrido, Carlos Jesús Pérez-López, Rafael Nieto, José Miguel Cobo-Cárdenas, Gema Gallstone Pigment stone Metal exposure Massive sulfide deposit Human biomineralization This study aims to explore the impact of chronic metal exposure derived from persistent pollution from mining activity using human gallstones as proxies. The samples were obtained from patients residing in geologically and environmentally contrasting areas in the Province of Huelva, SW Spain, allowing for the evaluation of the regional effect of metal pollution. The study group resides in the Iberian Pyrite Belt characterized by natural and anthropogenic metal pollution from mining activities, whereas the control group resides in the Ossa Morena Zone famous for its natural parks. A total of 68 gallstones were first classified based on their phase composition and structure and subsequently their chemical composition was studied using solution Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. The metal concentrations increased in the cholesterol-rich gallstones from pure, to mixed and composite cholesterol stones along with the increasing amount of minor phases, such as bilirubinate, carbonate, and phosphate. These cholesterol stones did not show an evident enrichment tendency. On the contrary, pigment stones, composed of bilirubinate, carbonate, and phosphate phases, were rich in a variety of elements and the regional comparison showed that the pigment stones from the study area were enriched in sulfide-associated metal(loid)s, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, As, Ag, Sb, and Pb with respect to the control group. Inhalation of polluted airborne particulate matter is considered as one of the main exposure routes among the residents of the study area. Additionally, consumption of local water and locally produced food products such as fruit and vegetables and dermal contact may be possible sources of exposure, but no direct connection was observed. 2024-10-28T13:03:50Z 2024-10-28T13:03:50Z 2018 journal article Parviainen, A., Marchesi, C., Suárez-Grau, J. M., Garrido, C. J., Pérez-López, R., Nieto, J. M., & Cobo-Cárdenas, G. (2018). Unraveling the impact of chronic exposure to metal pollution through human gallstones. Science of the Total Environment, 624, 1031-1040. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.12.224 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/96412 https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.12.224 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional