Identifier: TDX:1685
Authors:
García Sayago, Francisco
Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to determine the concentrations of trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, tin, vanadium and zinc) in selected autopsy tissues from subjects living in Tarragona. Analysis of data was made in terms of age, sex, smoking and drinking habits, and place of residence. Samples of liver, lung, kidney, brain and bone were obtained from a total of 78 autopsied adult subjects who at the time of death had lived in the city of Tarragona or in the sorroundings for at least the last 10 years. Cadmium, lead, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, tin, vanadium and zinc were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, Perkin Elmer Elan 6000). Arsenic and mercury were measured using hydride generation and ICP-MS. Arsenic levels were under the detection limit in nine tenths of the samples. Cadmium: the highest values were found in liver and especially in kidney. Smokers had statistically significant higher levels of cadmium in brain, bone, lung, and specially in liver. As for liver cobalt, its accumulation in men was significantly greater than in women. Chromium was indetectable in 20 % of samples of lungs. The copper levels reported here are similar to the ones published in other countries. Lead accumulation in bone increased with age, while its level in kidney diminished. The manganese levels in liver and kidney were slightly lower in smokers than in no smokers. The mercury concentrations reported here seem to be rather low, although the ingestion of mercury from fish and seafood in the area amounts about 16 g/day. The nickel concentrations in bone were ten times higher than in brain, liver of lung. Our results on tin concentrations are similar to the ones pub
Repositori URV