Linkage of national soil quality measurements to primary care medical records in England and Wales: a new resource for investigating environmental impacts on human health

Population Health Metrics
Jack E GibsonJo Leonardi-Bee

Abstract

Long-term, low-level exposure to toxic elements in soil may be harmful to human health but large longitudinal cohort studies with sufficient follow-up time to study these effects are cost-prohibitive and impractical. Linkage of routinely collected medical outcome data to systematic surveys of soil quality may offer a viable alternative. We used the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE), a systematic X-ray fluorescence survey of soil inorganic chemistry throughout England and Wales to obtain estimates of the concentrations of 15 elements in the soil contained within each English and Welsh postcode area. We linked these data to the residential postcodes of individuals enrolled in The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a large database of UK primary care medical records, to provide estimates of exposure. Observed exposure levels among the THIN population were compared with expectations based on UK population estimates to assess representativeness. Three hundred seventy-seven of three hundred ninety-five English and Welsh THIN practices agreed to participate in the linkage, providing complete residential soil metal estimates for 6,243,363 individuals (92% of all current and former patients) with a mean period of p...Continue Reading

References

Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jun 26, 1999·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·D G Barceloux
Jan 1, 1994·Environmental Pollution·O AtteiaR Webster
Jul 28, 2005·Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology·Scott Davis, Dana K Mirick
Dec 26, 2008·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety·Gillian C Hall
Aug 28, 2009·Journal of the Neurological Sciences·Y C WangN Qian
Feb 5, 2010·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety·Ana RuigómezLuis Alberto García Rodríguez
Nov 16, 2010·The British Journal of Dermatology·N M SeminaraJ M Gelfand
Oct 25, 2011·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety·Michelle R DenburgMary B Leonard
Feb 24, 2012·Diabetes Care·Elisa Martín-MerinoLuis Alberto García-Rodríguez
Mar 1, 2012·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety·Sharon B Meropol, Joshua P Metlay
May 12, 2012·Science Progress·Chris Cooksey
Jun 1, 2012·Nutrition Reviews·Eiji TakedaYutaka Taketani
Jul 31, 2012·The Science of the Total Environment·J D AppletonJ Wragg
Aug 3, 2012·Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part B, Critical Reviews·Melanie KahColin Brown
Sep 11, 2012·Reviews on Environmental Health·Maria ArgosJoseph H Graziano
Apr 16, 2013·The Science of the Total Environment·E Louise AnderR Murray Lark
Dec 11, 2013·Journal of Public Health·Rohini MathurLiam Smeeth
Jul 28, 2016·BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making·Haoyi ShiShuang Wang

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
X-ray

Software Mentioned

BASE
ArcGIS
UKBorders

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.