Serum calcium and magnesium levels and quality of life in environmentally exposed populations in Kazakhstan

The relationship between the levels of essential elements and various aspects of well-being in environmentally exposed populations still needs to be better understood. The present study aims to investigate the potential connections between serum concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and quality of life (QoL) in environmentally exposed populations in Kazakhstan. The present study involved 1881 nominally healthy individuals aged 18–52 years who were permanent residents of Abay, Borodulikha, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kurchum, Uralsk, Aksay, and Berezovka settlements. These settlements were selected to represent different types of environmental exposure: radioactive fallout from the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS), non-ferrous metallurgy, and the condensate gas field, compared to environmentally unexposed territories. The Russian version of the SF-36 questionnaire was used to assess the participants’ quality of life. Serum Ca levels were measured using colorimetry with O-cresolphthalein, and serum Mg concentrations were measured using colorimetry with xylidyl blue. Both elevated and decreased serum Ca levels were more frequently observed in the environmentally exposed populations. The prevalence of hypermagnesemia was highest among residents near the condensate gas field. Environmentally exposed populations residing near the SNTS and in Ust-Kamenogorsk exhibited lower scores in some QoL domains. In contrast, people near the condensate gas field showed comparable or even higher QoL scores than the control population. Only serum Mg demonstrated a significant association with the average QoL scores, while Ca did not show such an association. These findings have important implications for public health interventions.