Serum copper, rubidium, selenium, strontium, and zinc and psychophysical health in adults of the Sarno river Basin: PREVES-STOP 2025 community biomonitoring results.

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate associations between serum copper (Cu), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), and zinc (Zn) and psychophysical health in adults from Italy's Sarno River Basin within the 2025 PREVES-STOP program.

METHODS

Adults aged 30-65 completed validated questionnaires plus clinical evaluation and blood sampling. Elements were quantified by collision/reaction-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Associations were evaluated using Spearman and partial Spearman correlations.

RESULTS

Significant associations included Zn and Rb associated with lower odds (odds ratio, OR) of severe fatigue - Recognizing and Estimating Signs of Tiredness (REST): Zn OR=0.38, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.21-0.68, q=0.02; Rb OR=0.33, 95 % CI 0.15-0.71, q=0.03 - while Sr was associated with higher well-being - the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) OR=1.36, 95 % CI 1.12-1.65, q=0.02.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support broader trace-element panels to inform psychophysical and cardiometabolic risk beyond classical toxic metals, complementing prior PREVES-STOP evidence on lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). Further investigation is warranted.