A Medical Device that Estimates a Person's Socioeconomic Status

Can medical technology provide an indication of how wealthy a person is? A recent study seems to support that notion, alleging that a spectrophotometer and a blood sample are all that are required to roughly gauge someone's socioeconomic status.

The study, performed at the University of Exeter, explained how researchers determined how rich and poor Americans differ chemically. While environmental toxins impact everyone regardless of socioeconomic status, the type of toxin quelled away inside one's body does vary with net worth.

On average, people who can afford aquatic lean protein sources like sushi appear to have higher levels of heavy metals in their body. This includes thallium, caesium, mercury and arsenic. All these metals accumulate in shellfish and fish. In comparison, poorer people carried lower levels of these toxins in their bodies.

Oxybenzone, the active ingredient in sunscreen, was also found in the bloodstreams of higher-income earners. Some researchers have expressed concern that this chemical could be associated with an increased risk of skin cancer.

While the rich may face heavy metals from the sushi bar and toxins from too many sunny days on the beach, the poor face their own unique problems.

Lower-income lifestyles are associated with higher levels of smoking. Since some tobacco products contain cadmium and lead, these chemicals are often found in the bloodstreams of those from lower incomes. BPA, a chemical used in preserved-food can liners, was also found in high levels among the poor.

On average, higher income earners are more likely to eat fruits, vegetables and lean meats instead of fast food and snacks. However, staying healthy could be difficult, regardless of one's net worth. To some extent, climbing the income ladder may simply involve a switch from one set of toxins to another.

The report concludes that the research provided "a comprehensive analysis of exposure patterns as a function of socioeconomic status in US adults, providing important information to guide future public health remediation measures to decrease toxicant and disease burdens within society."

Note: an earlier version of this article mistakenly said that "nicotine" may contain cadmium or lead. It has been corrected to explain that some "tobacco products" may contain those substances.