Long-term exposure to atmospheric metals and cognitive performance in rural and semi-urban areas in the Constances cohort
Abstract
The role of exposure to PM2.5 components on cognitive impairment remains poorly understood. Atmospheric metals are of particular concern, as some are known neurotoxins. However, the effect of their exposure on cognition are not well known. This cross-sectional study aims to study the associations between a set of atmospheric metals and cognitive performances in adults. Our analyses included 45,162 semi-urban and rural participants of the French Constances cohort aged over 45 years old at inclusion. We estimated residential exposure to atmospheric metals using moss biomonitoring data spatially interpolated by ordinary kriging. After a rotated principal component analysis (PCA), we derived three groups of metals and identified one as anthropogenic which included cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), antimony (Sb) and copper (Cu). We assessed cognitive impairment using a battery of six tests covering three cognitive domains (episodic memory, executive functions, language) and cognitive norms previously defined by age, sex and education. We used logistic regression models to analyze the association between the anthropogenic group and each metal and each cognitive test. Median exposures ranged between 0.09 (interquartile range (IQR): 0.05) for Sb, and 30.5 (IQR: 8.6) for Zn μg/g of dried moss. Exposure to atmospheric metals was associated with poorer cognitive performance for at least one of the domains. For instance, we found that exposure to Pb was associated with poorer executive functions (TMT-A score), with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.15 (1.09: 1.21) for an IQR increase, and significant positive but nonlinear associations with the PCA anthropogenic group. For semantic skills, we found a statistically significant association only for Cu (OR = 1.04 (1.00: 1.08) for an IQR increase). For lexical skills and episodic memory, associations were either non-linear with no clear trend, or protective. Further research on the subject is required, especially in urban settings and using longitudinal designs.
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BibTeX
@article{lafontaine2026longterm,
title = {{Long-term exposure to atmospheric metals and cognitive performance in rural and semi-urban areas in the Constances cohort}},
author = {Antoine Lafontaine and Caroline Meyer and Kees de Hoogh and Marcel Goldberg and Sébastien Leblond and Noémie Letellier and Danielle Vienneau and Marie Zins and Claudine Berr and Marion Mortamais and Bénédicte Jacquemin and Emeline Lequy},
journal = {Environmental Research},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2026.125469},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05723213v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Long-term exposure to atmospheric metals and cognitive performance in rural and semi-urban areas in the Constances cohort
AU - Antoine Lafontaine
AU - Caroline Meyer
AU - Kees de Hoogh
AU - Marcel Goldberg
AU - Sébastien Leblond
AU - Noémie Letellier
AU - Danielle Vienneau
AU - Marie Zins
AU - Claudine Berr
AU - Marion Mortamais
AU - Bénédicte Jacquemin
AU - Emeline Lequy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/12
JO - Environmental Research
DO - 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125469
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05723213v1
AB - The role of exposure to PM2.5 components on cognitive impairment remains poorly understood. Atmospheric metals are of particular concern, as some are known neurotoxins. However, the effect of their exposure on cognition are not well known. This cross-sectional study aims to study the associations between a set of atmospheric metals and cognitive performances in adults. Our analyses included 45,162 semi-urban and rural participants of the French Constances cohort aged over 45 years old at inclusion. We estimated residential exposure to atmospheric metals using moss biomonitoring data spatially interpolated by ordinary kriging. After a rotated principal component analysis (PCA), we derived three groups of metals and identified one as anthropogenic which included cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), antimony (Sb) and copper (Cu). We assessed cognitive impairment using a battery of six tests covering three cognitive domains (episodic memory, executive functions, language) and cognitive norms previously defined by age, sex and education. We used logistic regression models to analyze the association between the anthropogenic group and each metal and each cognitive test. Median exposures ranged between 0.09 (interquartile range (IQR): 0.05) for Sb, and 30.5 (IQR: 8.6) for Zn μg/g of dried moss. Exposure to atmospheric metals was associated with poorer cognitive performance for at least one of the domains. For instance, we found that exposure to Pb was associated with poorer executive functions (TMT-A score), with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.15 (1.09: 1.21) for an IQR increase, and significant positive but nonlinear associations with the PCA anthropogenic group. For semantic skills, we found a statistically significant association only for Cu (OR = 1.04 (1.00: 1.08) for an IQR increase). For lexical skills and episodic memory, associations were either non-linear with no clear trend, or protective. Further research on the subject is required, especially in urban settings and using longitudinal designs.
SN - 0013-9351
SN - 1096-0953
ER -