Manganese pollution and brain health near a South African smelter
Official title: South African Manganese EnvironmentaL NeuroToxic Effects Research (SMELTER)
Funded at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center · NIH-11376082 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people who live near a South African manganese smelter to learn how exposure affects thinking and movement over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Phoenix, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $183,548 |
| NIH project number | 3R01ES035388-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376082 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults who live in Meyerton (near the manganese smelter) or the nearby reference community and are willing to have air monitoring, clinical motor exams, and cognitive testing over time.
✕Less likely to help
People who have not lived near manganese emissions or those seeking immediate treatment for advanced neurodegenerative disease may not receive direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project follows more than 800 South African residents—over 700 who live near a large manganese smelter and others in a nearby reference town—to track changes in movement, thinking, and mood over several years. Researchers measure airborne manganese (PM2.5-Mn), perform motor exams using the UPDRS3, and administer cognitive and mood tests in the appropriate local languages. The team previously found worse motor and cognitive performance in the exposed town and will now check whether those problems progress over time. Repeated clinical exams and environmental measurements will be linked to individual health changes to understand exposure–response relationships.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could show that reducing manganese emissions helps prevent or slow declines in movement and thinking and could guide community screening and cleanup efforts.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cross-sectional studies, including this cohort's earlier work, linked manganese air levels to poorer motor and cognitive scores, but longitudinal evidence on progression is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Phoenix, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Racette, Brad a — St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Racette, Brad a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.