The BIOMA Institute participates in a study demonstrating that heavy metals damage DNA even at low exposures

Millions of people around the world are unknowingly exposed to heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and chromium. Workers in welding, smelting, battery recycling, mining, and manufacturing, as well as populations living near landfills, industries, or soils contaminated by past activities, may inhale or ingest these metals day after day.

An international team of scientists, including Amaya Azquetaresearcher at the BIOMA Institute in the group , has published a meta-analysis in the journal Mutation Research Reviews which shows that exhibition these metals causes significant damage to human DNA., even at levels commonly found in occupational or environmental settings. After analyzing 66 programs of study over 25 years of research, the work that exposed individuals present more breaks in their genetic material, a biomarker associated with serious diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disorders.

To measure this damage, researchers collected information on programs of study had used the essay , a technique that sample in an electric field of DNA 'frayed' by the presence of breaks. According to the study, workers exposed to lead have almost twice as much genetic damage as the unexposed population. "In addition, we observed that those who inhale welding fumes, rich in chromium, show the highest levels of damage," adds Amaya Azqueta.

The impact is particularly worrying in average countries, where exhibition be higher and labor protection more limited. "The fact that genetic damage is greater in average countries is average surprising, but it is alarming: it reflects inequalities in labor protection, regulation, and environmental control," says Amaya.

Although the risk is not immediate, according to the research, the effect of these compounds may be slowly eroding genetic material, increasing the likelihood of serious diseases in the future. Researchers are calling for greater health surveillance, improvements in work conditions work stricter policies to limit the release of these metals into the environment.

References:
Møller P, Bankoglu EE, Stopper H, Gajski G, Gerić M, Haveric A, Azqueta A, Giovannelli L, Collins A, Ladeira C. The comet assay as a tool in human biomonitoring of exposure to heavy metals - A systematic review and goal. Mutat Res Rev Mutat Res. 2025 Nov 11;796:108567. doi: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2025.108567. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41223799.