This investigation is an extention of our initial study performed among blood donors who donated blood during two consecutive years 2020-2022. In all, close to 4800 samples were collected and 911 of these were tested by the National Laboratory of Public Health for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) (Hassan et al, 2020, Hassan et al, 2023a, Hassan et al, 2023b). In the new analysis, 2,000 blood samples will be tested, primarily sampled from non-urban areas. The findings will complete to the full picture on metals' concentrations in the general population of the Israeli residents. We will search for sources of metals contamination in the form of hazardous industries in case of any systematically elevaled levels of metals detected in spatial clusters.
We also hope to follow the physiopathological pathway from ambient external exposure, to internal dose (heavy metals in blood), to biological effect, by testing blood samples for changes in 80HdG. This last analysis will serve to indicate changes to donor DNA as a result of oxidative stress. Finally, we will perform an ecological study to assess any correlation between exposure to ambient pollution and morbidity.
Collaboration of MDA Blood Services, national public health laboratory and SUMC researchers.