Environmental pollution and kidney disease: Air, water, and soil pollution can increase the risk of lung disease, heart disease, infections, and cancer, but what about kidney disease – nobody knows!
Is there any link between pollution and kidney disease?
Yes, there is a link, but ironically there is less awareness among people.
Many people wonder how pollution can be linked to kidney disease!
They don’t know how environmental pollution can cause chronic kidney disease and accelerate disease progression to kidney failure and dialysis.
Let’s learn about how environmental pollution can cause CKD.
Air Pollution and Kidney Disease
Air pollution increases the risk of obstructive pulmonary disease, Asthma, cancer, brain stroke, and heart disease.
Several studies have linked lung disease, heart disease, cancer, and infections to air, water, and soil pollution. But, many of us don’t know much about the link between environmental pollution and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine linked outdoor air pollution to kidney disease. According to them, pollution can increase the risk of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.
Their study was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Why polluted air may be a threat to your kidneys?
New research studies suggest a strong link between air pollution and chronic kidney disease.
Polluted air contains harmful chemicals that can directly affect the kidneys.
Heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead present in polluted air are known to cause damage to kidneys.
People who have heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease. If these high-risk category people live in highly polluted areas, their risk of kidney disease increases substantially.
According to a report published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, air pollution is a risk factor for the increasing number of new kidney disease cases and their progression to CKD and dialysis.
Polluted water and kidney disease
Prolonged exposure to contaminated water can increase the risk of kidney disease.
Owing to its ability to filter, reabsorb, and concentrate ions, the kidney is a target organ in heavy metal toxicity.
Drinking contaminated water containing heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic can lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in the kidneys that cause kidney disease.
Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses present in contaminated drinking water can cause kidney problems.
Excess amounts of phosphorus, calcium, cadmium, mercury, manganese, copper lead, and other heavy metals that accumulate in the kidneys can lead to kidney damage and renal failure.
Contaminated water can transmit diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea which in severe cases can lead to acute kidney injury or sudden loss of kidney function.
Heavy metal poisoning from Soil, water, and food
Mercury puts pregnant women and their unborn babies at risk.
Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury from food, water, or industry (soil) can increase the risk of people getting CKD. Excess amounts of these heavy metals found in some fish such as tuna can increase the risk of kidney disease.
Chronic lead exposure can lead to kidney disease: Water and soil contaminated by industrial wastes, leakage of lead from old pipe lining, lead from batteries, recycling and manufacturing of lead products can increase lead exposure.
Cadmium exposure often comes from foods, such as rice grown in soil with cadmium in it. Cadmium is also in cigarette smoke.
Bottom Line
We are living in a polluted atmosphere still unaware of its serious and life-threatening implications on overall health in general and kidney health in particular.
Many of us are aware of the detrimental effects of pollution on the lungs, and heart, but have little understanding of the effects of pollution on kidneys. However, the fact is that most environmental toxins are concentrated in the kidney during filtration and can lead to kidney disease.
In a developing country like India, environmental pollution is a huge public concern and a big challenge due to disease and death (mortality). Therefore, controlling pollution to minimize its adverse effects on the kidneys is better.
Leave a Reply