The Environment and Aging and Age-related Disease

Key Personnel

Sung Kyun Park, Principal Investigator
Howard Hu, Mentor
Robert Wright, Co-Mentor
Joel Schwartz, Co-Investigator
Marc Weisskopf, Co-Investigator
Bhramar Mukherjee, Co-Investigator
Katherine Tucker, Co-Investigator
Debra Schaumberg, Co-Investigator
Josef Miller, Co-Investigator
Susan Korrick, Co-Investigator
Xin Wang, Research Investigator
Ning Ding, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Weiye Wang, Doctoral Student
Zishaan Farooqui, Doctoral Student

Cumulative Exposure to toxic heavy metals (lead and cadmium) and air pollution can accelerate aging process and increase the risk of age-related disease such as cardiovascular disease, eye disease (cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration), and hearing loss.

As the aging population grows, the need to better understand the causes of age-related pathological changes is required. The major goals of this project are to understand how long-term exposures to environmental toxicants (lead, cadmium and air pollution) affect age-related pathological changes, namely, depressed cardiac function, age-related eye disease, and hearing loss, and to identify genetic and dietary factors that impact susceptibility to such pollutants in an aging population. This project is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, K01 ES016587).

Spencer Platt / Getty Images file

Lead accumulation in shin bone may be associated with resistant high blood pressure (AHA Report)

Lead could be fueling America's high blood pressure epidemic (NBC News)

The toxic metal that people breathed in or drank decades ago could be raising their blood pressure today.

Image: © iStockphoto/Nastasic

Looking Backward: Long-Term Lead Exposure and Risk of Glaucoma (Environmental Health Perspectives)

A new study suggests that higher exposures to lead over a lifetime may increase the risk of primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma.

PUBLICATIONS

Ding N, Park SK. Perfluoroalkyl substances exposure and hearing impairment in US adults. Environ Res 2020;187:109686.
Wang X, Kim D, Tucker KL, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Hu H, Park SK. Effect of dietary sodium and potassium intake on the mobilization of bone lead among middle-aged and older men: the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. Nutrients 2019;11(11):2750.
Nwanaji-Enwerem JC, Wang W, Nwanaji-Enwerem O, Vokonas P, Baccarelli A, Weisskopf M, Herndon LW, Wiggs JL, Park SK, Schwartz J. Association of long-term ambient black carbon exposure and oxidative stress allelic variants with intraocular pressure in older men. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019;137:129-137.
Ding N, Wang X, Tucker KL, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Hu H, Park SK. Dietary patterns, bone lead and incident coronary heart disease among middle-aged to elderly men. Environ Res 2019;168:222-9.
Zheutlin AR, Hu H, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Park SK. Low-level cumulative lead and resistant hypertension: a prospective study of men participating in the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2018;7:e010014.
Wang W, Moroi S, Bakulski K, Mukherjee B, Weisskopf MG, Schaumberg D, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Hu H, Park SK. Bone lead levels and risk of incident primary open-angle glaucoma: the VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect 2018;126(8):087002.
Wang X, Ding N, Tucker KL, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Hu H, Park SK. A Western diet pattern is associated with higher concentrations of blood and bone lead among middle-aged and elderly men. J Nutr 2017;147(7):1374-83.
Choi Y-H, Park SK. Environmental exposures to lead, mercury, and cadmium and hearing loss in adults and adolescents: KNHANES 2010-2012. Environ Health Perspect 2017;125(6):067003.
Farooqui Z, Bakulski KM, Power MC, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Spiro III A, Vokonas PS, Nie H, Hu H, Park SK. Associations of cumulative Pb exposure and longitudinal changes in Mini-Mental Status Exam scores, global cognition and domains of cognition: The VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Res 2017;152:102-108.
Wang W, Schaumberg DA, Park SK. Cadmium and lead exposures and age-related cataract in US Adults. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2016;219(8):850-856.
Ding N, Wang X, Weisskopf MG, Sparrow D, Schwartz J, Hu H, Park SK. Lead-related genetic loci, cumulative lead exposure and incident coronary heart disease: The Normative Aging Study. Plos ONE 2016;11(9):e0161472.
Jhun MA, Hu H, Schwartz J, Weisskopf MG, Nie LH, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Park SK. Effect modification by vitamin D receptor genetic polymorphisms in the association between cumulative lead exposure and pulse pressure: a longitudinal study. Environ Health 2015;14:5.
Park SK, Adar SD, O’Neill MS, Auchincloss AH, Szpiro A, Bertoni AG, Navas-Acien A, Kaufman JD, Diez Roux AV. Long-term exposure to air pollution and type-2 diabetes in a multi-ethnic cohort. Am J Epidemiol 2015;181(5):327-36.
Zota AR, Needham BL, Blackburn EH, Lin J, Park SK, Rehkopf DH, Epel ES. Associations of cadmium and lead exposure with leukocyte telomere length: Findings from NHANES 1999-2002. Am J Epidemiol 2015;181(2):127-36.
Wu EW, Schaumberg DA, Park SK. Environmental Cadmium and Lead Exposures and Age-related Macular Degeneration in US Adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005 to 2008. Environ Res 2014;133:178-184.
Choi Y-H, Miller J, Tucker KL, Hu H, Park SK. Antioxidant vitamins and magnesium and the risk of hearing loss in the U.S. general population. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;99(1):148-55.
Bakulski KM, Park SK, Weisskopf MG, Tucker KL, Sparrow D, Spiro III A, Vokonas PS, Nie LH, Hu H, Weuve J. Lead Exposure, B-vitamins, and Plasma Homocysteine in Men 55 Years of Age and Older: The VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect 2014;122:1066-1074.
Choi Y-H, Hu H, Mukherjee B, Miller J, Park SK. Environmental cadmium and lead exposures and hearing loss in US adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004. Environ Health Perspect 2012;120:1544-1550.
Choi Y-H, Hu H, Tak S, Mukherjee B, Park SK. Occupational noise exposure assessment using O*NET and its application to a study of hearing loss in the general population. Occup Environ Med 2012;69(3):176-83.
Park SK, Auchincloss AH, O'Neill MS, Prineas R, Correa JC, Barr RG, Diez Roux AV. Particulate Air Pollution, Metabolic Syndrome, and Heart Rate Variability: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Environ Health Perspect 2010;118:1406-1411.
Park SK, Elmarsafawy S, Mukherjee B, Spiro A III, Vokonas PS, Nie H, Weisskopf MG, Schwartz J, Hu H. Cumulative Lead Exposure and Age-related Hearing Loss: The VA Normative Aging Study. Hearing Research 2010;269(1-2):48-55.
Zhang A, Park SK, Wright RO, Mukherjee B, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Nie H, Hu H. The H63D mutation in the hemochromatosis gene modifies the impact of bone lead burden on pulse pressure: The VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect 2010;118(9):1261-1266.
Wright RO, Schwartz J, Wright RJ, Bollati V, Tarantini L, Park SK, Hu H, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Baccarelli A. Biomarkers of Lead Exposure and DNA Methylation within Retrotransposons. Environ Health Perspect 2010;118:790-795.
Park SK, Mukherjee B, Xia X, Sparrow D, Weisskopf MG, Nie H, Hu H. Bone Lead Level Prediction Models and Their Application to Examining the Relationship of Lead Exposure and Hypertension in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III). J Occup Environ Med 2009;51:1422-1436.
Park SK, Tucker KL, O'Neill MS, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Hu H, Schwartz J. Fruit, vegetable and fish consumption and heart rate variability: the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:778-786.
Park SK, Hu H, Wright RO, Schwartz J, Cheng Y, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Weisskopf M. Iron metabolism genes, low-level lead exposure and QT interval. Environ Health Perspect 2009;117:80-85.
Park SK, O’Neill MS, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Spiro A III, Tucker KL, Suh H, Hu H, Schwartz J. Traffic-related particles are associated with elevated homocysteine: the VA Normative Aging Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;178(3):283-289.
Lampe BJ, Park SK, Robins T, Mukherjee B, Litonjua AA, Amarasiriwardena C, Weisskopf M, Sparrow D, Hu H. Association between 24-hour urinary cadmium and pulmonary function among community-exposed men: The VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect 2008;116:1226-1230.
Baccarelli A, Cassano PA, Litonjua A, Park SK, Suh H, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Schwartz J. Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction: Effects from Particulate Air Pollution and Protection by Dietary Methyl Nutrients and Metabolic Polymorphisms. Circulation 2008;117(14):1802-1809.
Park SK, O'Neill MS, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Wright RO, Coull B, Nie H, Hu H, Schwartz J. Air Pollution and Heart Rate Variability: Effect Modification by Chronic Lead Exposure. Epidemiology. 2008;19(1):111-120.
Park SK, O'Neill MS, Stunder BJB, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Koutrakis P, Schwartz J. Source Location of Air Pollution and Cardiac Autonomic Function: Trajectory Cluster Analysis for Exposure Assessment. J Exp Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2007;17(5):488-497.
Park SK, O'Neill MS, Wright RO, Hu H, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Suh H, Schwartz J. HFE Genotype, Particulate Air Pollution, and Heart Rate Variability: A Gene-Environment Interaction. Circulation. 2006;114(25):2798-2805.
Park SK, Schwartz J, Weisskopf M, Wright RO, Coull B, Sparrow D, Vokonas PS, Nie H, Hu H. Low-Level Lead Exposure, Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Rate Variability: the VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(11):1718-1724.
Schwartz J, Park SK, O'Neill MS, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Weiss ST, Kelsey K. Glutathione-S-transferase M1, Obesity, Statins, and Autonomic Effects of Particles: Gene-by-Drug-by-Environmental Interaction. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005;172(12):1529-1533.
Park SK, O'Neill MS, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Schwartz J. Effects of air pollution on heart rate variability: the VA normative aging study. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(3):304-309.

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