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Generalized Anxiety and Major Depressive syndrome measured by the SCL-90-R in Two Manganese (Mn) Exposed Ohio Towns
Citation:
Bauldry, R., E. Kornblith, S. Adams, C. Wright, D. Lobdell, AND R. Bowler. Generalized Anxiety and Major Depressive syndrome measured by the SCL-90-R in Two Manganese (Mn) Exposed Ohio Towns. International Neuropsychological Society, Denver, CO, February 04 - 07, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
This study addresses research questions under Sustainable and Healthy Communities (2.2.1.6 lessons learned, best practices and stakeholder feedback from community and tribal participative case studies). This Regional Applied Research Effort project is a joint effort between Region 5 and ORD Scientists that examined neurotoxic effects of Mn within two communities: a high level air exposure community (East Liverpool, Ohio) and a mid to low range air exposure community (Marietta, Ohio). This work is important in that either positive results (differences between the high level air Mn exposure community and comparison communities) or negative results (little or no differences among communities) inform the issue of potential health effects of residential airborne Mn exposure, a recognized gap in Mn health effects literature. Both outcomes can also help inform the need for greater airborne Mn control.
Description:
Objective: Environmental exposure to manganese (Mn) may cause generalized anxiety (GA) and major depression (MD) in residents living in Mn-exposed areas. Marietta and East Liverpool are two Ohio towns identified as having elevated levels of Mn. The objective was to determine if levels of Mn exposure were associated with levels of GA and MD.Participants and methods: 186 participants (Mean age: 55.0 ± 10.80) were examined. Levels of air-Mn were assessed over a period of ten years using U.S. EPA’s AERMOD dispersion model. Average air-Mn exposure was 0.53 μg/m3 in the two towns. The GA syndrome was comprised of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and phobic scales from the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R). The MD syndrome was comprised of depression, anxiety, and psychoticism scales also from the SCL-90-R. Linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between Mn and GA, MD and the specific components of each.Results: Elevated air-Mn was associated with GA (β= 0.240, p=0.002), and MD (β= 0.202, p=0.011). Air-Mn was associated with specific components of GA anxiety (β= 0.255, p=0.001), phobic anxiety (β= 0.159, p=0.046), and obsessive-compulsive (β= 0.197, p=0.013). Similarly, components of MD syndrome suggested an association as well: depression (β= 0.180, p=0.023), anxiety (β= 0.255, p=0.001), and psychoticism (β= 0.188, p=0.018). Conclusions: The results suggest that residents with elevated exposure to environmental Mn have elevated levels of GA and MD. Residents who reported symptoms of anxiety, such as feelings of nervousness, tension, and restlessness were found to have the strongest association with elevated Mn-air concentrations. Disclaimer: This abstract does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.