Cadmium, copper and zinc in tissues of deceased copper smelter workers

• Published in: Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
• Main Authors: Gerhardsson, Lars, Englyst, V, Lundstrom, NG, Sandberg, S, Nordberg, G
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2002
• Subjects: Environmental Health and Occupational Health; biological monitoring; nails; hair; soft tissues; zinc; copper; smelter workers; cadmium; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/319760; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0946-672X(02)80055-4

Workers at a copper and lead smelter in northern Sweden have a multifactorial exposure to a number of heavy metals. The concentrations of cadmium, copper and zinc in Liver, Lung, kidney and brain tissues have been deters mined by atomic absorption spectrometry in 32 deceased tong-term exposed male lead smelter workers, and compared with those of 10 male controls. Furthermore, copper and zinc Levels in hair and nails were determined by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. The highest cadmium concentrations among both workers and controls were observed in kidney, followed in order by liver, lung and brain. The levels in kidney, Liver and Lung were all significantly higher in the workers than in the controls (p < 0.03). Among the workers relatively strong positive correlations (p < 0.03) were observed between cadmium concentrations in liver and lung, liver and kidney, liver and brain, and lung and brain. In the exposed workers a positive correlation was observed between cadmium and zinc concentrations in the kidney (r(s) = 0.38; p = 0.034). This is probably mainly due to the protein metallothionein, which is stored in the kidney, binding equimolar amounts of these two metals. The highest concentrations of copper were found in hair and nails among both workers and controls, followed in order by liver, brain, kidney and Lung. The tissue concentrations of copper in brain, Lung and kidney were all significantly higher among the smelter workers than in the controls (p less than or equal to 0.036). Copper Levels in lung and age at time of death were positively correlated among the exposed workers (r(s) = 0.39; p = 0.029). In the same group, positive correlations between copper and zinc concentrations in kidney (r(s) = 0.45; p = 0.009) and nails (r(s) = 0.68; p < 0.001) were also observed, reflecting possible biological interactions between these two metals. Among both workers and controls, the highest zinc concentrations were found in hair, followed in order by nails, liver, kidney, brain and lung. ...