It has been confirmed that indoor heavy metals affect not only humans but also worsen atopic dermatitis symptoms in pet dogs.
The National Research Foundation of Korea announced on November 13 that the research team led by Professor Ha Jung Kim at Chonnam National University College of Veterinary Medicine has identified this fact for the first time in Korea.
As industrialization and urbanization accelerate and climate change progresses due to global warming, the composition of indoor environmental factors is changing, leading to a steady increase in the prevalence of atopic dermatitis.
This trend is not limited to humans. Cases of atopic dermatitis in pet dogs, who share living spaces with people, are also on the rise. Although various treatments for atopic dermatitis have been developed and are in use, there are still limitations to treatment.
In particular, as the population of pet owners in Korea grows and most pet dogs live indoors, the importance of qualitative management of the indoor environment is increasing. Taking this situation into account, the research team focused on identifying the impact of harmful indoor environmental factors on pet dogs.
First, through previous studies, the team found that the higher the concentration of indoor fine dust and mold toxins, the more severe the atopic symptoms in pet dogs became.
Subsequently, based on evidence that heavy metals-one of the harmful indoor environmental factors-can cause various diseases in pet dogs, the team conducted follow-up research.
Heavy metals can enter indoors as gases emitted from factories or fossil fuel exhaust mix with outside air. They can also be introduced through aging household water pipes, paint components, batteries, and other household materials. Increased exposure to these heavy metals is known to cause cardiovascular, neurological, and allergic diseases in humans.
In this context, the research team conducted indoor environmental surveys (housing environment questionnaires and indoor air quality analyses), clinical skin symptom evaluations, and blood biomarker analyses related to allergic inflammation on pet dogs with atopic dermatitis and healthy pet dogs visiting Chonnam National University Animal Hospital. They also collected hair samples from the dogs to measure heavy metal concentrations.
The results showed that the detected heavy metal concentrations were within the normal range according to Ministry of Environment standards. However, pet dogs with atopic symptoms tended to have higher heavy metal concentrations as fine dust levels increased, suggesting that heavy metals in fine dust may have contributed to the worsening of the disease. The study concluded that an increase in heavy metal concentration is associated with the aggravation of atopic symptoms in pet dogs.
Professor Kim stated, "This study was conducted to determine whether heavy metals, a harmful indoor environmental factor, can worsen atopic dermatitis in pet dogs," adding, "The research team will continue our studies to help establish new methods for the prevention and management of atopic dermatitis in companion animals."
This research was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Program funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The research findings (paper) were recently published online in the international medical journal 'Allergy.'
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