Study on the relationship between urinary mercury exposure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among industrial workers in a city of Guangdong Province

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the association between urinary mercury exposure levels and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease（NAFLD） among enterprise workers in a city of Guargdong Province，providing scientific evidence for developing targeted occupational protection measures and health management strategies. Methods Enterprise workers in Shenzhen in 2024 were selected as the study population，basic information and medical examination data of the research subjects were obtained through the physical examination system，and statistical analysis were conducted accordingly. A restricted cubic spline（RCS） model was used to explore the nonlinear and dose-response relationships between urinary mercury exposure and the risk of NAFLD. Results A total of 269 participants were included in this study，among whom 82 had NAFLD，with a detection rate of 30.5%. The urinary mercury exposure level of the study subjects was below the occupational biological exposure limit. There were statistically significant differences in age and body mass index（BMI） between the two groups（both P<0.05），and the NAFLD group had higher levels of all biochemical indicators compared with the control group（both P<0.05）. Logistic regression analysis indicated that elevated urinary mercury concentrations were associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. Compared with the low-exposure group，the moderate urinary mercury exposure group showed an increased risk of NAFLD（OR=2.200，95%CI：1.143-4.319，P<0.05）. Stratified analysis revealed that in the population aged 30-<40 years，higher urinary mercury concentrations were associated with an increased risk of NAFLD（OR=2.408，95%CI：1.131-5.578，P<0.05）. RCS analysis showed that as urinary mercury concentration increased，the risk of NAFLD initially decreased and then increased，with a significant nonlinear relationship（P<0.05）. Conclusion Urinary mercury exposure among industrial workers in a city of Guangdong Province is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD and exhibits a nonlinear relationship，which is more pronounced in the population aged 30-<40 years. It is recommended to strengthen the monitoring of mercury exposure and health management for industrial workers in a city of Guangdong Province.

Key words: Mercury, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Binary Logistic regression, Restricted cubic spline, Age stratification, Dose-response relationship

CLC Number:

R135.13

CHEN Linlin, ZHANG Liuzhuo, ZHU Dexiang, WANG Xizhi, MENG Xiaojing, ZHANG Ming. Study on the relationship between urinary mercury exposure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among industrial workers in a city of Guangdong Province. [J]OCCUPATION AND HEALTH, 2026, 42(6): 733-737.

Figures/Tables 4

References 36

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项目	NAFLD组（n=82）	对照组（n=187）	χ²/t值	P值
性别[人（%）]				0.114^a
男	78（95.1）	166（88.8）
女	4（4.9）	21（11.2）
年龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）岁]	36.3±1.0	31.7±0.7	3.642^b	<0.001
总工龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）年]	7.5±0.9	5.9±0.6	1.629^b	0.105
接害工龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）年]	7.2±0.9	5.4±0.6	1.717^b	0.087
吸烟[人（%）]			0.113^c	0.738
是	11（13.4）	28（15.0）
否	71（86.6）	159（85.0）
BMI[人（%）]				<0.001^a
正常	7（8.5）	104（55.6）
超重	36（43.9）	58（31.0）
肥胖	33（40.2）	13（7.0）
高血压[人（%）]			1.892^c	0.168
是	11（13.4）	15（8.0）
否	71（86.6）	172（92.0）
糖尿病[人（%）]			2.648^c	0.104
是	22（26.8）	34（18.2）
否	53（73.2）	137（81.8）
ALT[（$\bar{x}±s$）U/L]	46.9±4.6	25.4±1.5	4.444^b	<0.001
GGT[（$\bar{x}±s$）U/L]	39.1±2.9	27.6±1.7	3.610^b	<0.001
HDL[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	1.2±0.3	1.3±0.2	2.015^b	<0.001
LDL[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	3.2±0.6	2.8±0.7	2.659^b	<0.001
糖化血红蛋白[（$\bar{x}±s$）%）]	6.6±0.5	5.8±0.4	1.254^b	<0.001
空腹血糖[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	5.7±1.1	5.3±0.7	2.711^b	<0.001
三酰甘油[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	2.5±0.3	1.4±0.1	3.447^b	<0.001
胆固醇[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	5.0±0.2	4.5±0.1	2.681^b	<0.001
尿汞[（$\bar{x}±s$）μmol/mol Cr]	1.0±0.5	0.8±0.5	2.870^b	<0.001

项目	NAFLD组（n=82）	对照组（n=187）	χ²/t值	P值
性别[人（%）]				0.114^a
男	78（95.1）	166（88.8）
女	4（4.9）	21（11.2）
年龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）岁]	36.3±1.0	31.7±0.7	3.642^b	<0.001
总工龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）年]	7.5±0.9	5.9±0.6	1.629^b	0.105
接害工龄[（$\bar{x}±s$）年]	7.2±0.9	5.4±0.6	1.717^b	0.087
吸烟[人（%）]			0.113^c	0.738
是	11（13.4）	28（15.0）
否	71（86.6）	159（85.0）
BMI[人（%）]				<0.001^a
正常	7（8.5）	104（55.6）
超重	36（43.9）	58（31.0）
肥胖	33（40.2）	13（7.0）
高血压[人（%）]			1.892^c	0.168
是	11（13.4）	15（8.0）
否	71（86.6）	172（92.0）
糖尿病[人（%）]			2.648^c	0.104
是	22（26.8）	34（18.2）
否	53（73.2）	137（81.8）
ALT[（$\bar{x}±s$）U/L]	46.9±4.6	25.4±1.5	4.444^b	<0.001
GGT[（$\bar{x}±s$）U/L]	39.1±2.9	27.6±1.7	3.610^b	<0.001
HDL[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	1.2±0.3	1.3±0.2	2.015^b	<0.001
LDL[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	3.2±0.6	2.8±0.7	2.659^b	<0.001
糖化血红蛋白[（$\bar{x}±s$）%）]	6.6±0.5	5.8±0.4	1.254^b	<0.001
空腹血糖[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	5.7±1.1	5.3±0.7	2.711^b	<0.001
三酰甘油[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	2.5±0.3	1.4±0.1	3.447^b	<0.001
胆固醇[（$\bar{x}±s$）mmol/L]	5.0±0.2	4.5±0.1	2.681^b	<0.001
尿汞[（$\bar{x}±s$）μmol/mol Cr]	1.0±0.5	0.8±0.5	2.870^b	<0.001

分类	OR（95%CI）	P值	P_趋势值
连续变量
模型Ⅰ	1.847（1.175~2.963）	0.009
模型Ⅱ	1.834（1.148~2.995）	0.013
模型Ⅲ	2.385（1.391~4.245）	0.002
分组变量			0.486
低暴露组
中等暴露组	2.200（1.143~4.319）	0.020
高暴露组	1.320（0.682~2.591）	0.413

分类	OR（95%CI）	P值	P_趋势值
连续变量
模型Ⅰ	1.847（1.175~2.963）	0.009
模型Ⅱ	1.834（1.148~2.995）	0.013
模型Ⅲ	2.385（1.391~4.245）	0.002
分组变量			0.486
低暴露组
中等暴露组	2.200（1.143~4.319）	0.020
高暴露组	1.320（0.682~2.591）	0.413

年龄（岁）	OR（95%CI）	P值
20~<30	2.053（0.947~4.772）	0.077
30~<40	2.408（1.131~5.578）	0.029
40~60	0.961（0.712~3.004）	0.942