Hair cadmium content: is it a biological indicator of the body burden of cadmium for the occupationally exposed worker

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Am. J. Ind. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.4700020404· OSTI ID:6700861

Ellis, K J; Yasumura, S; Cohn, S H

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the cadmium (Cd) levels measured in scalp hair as a potential predictive index of the body burden of Cd. In vivo measurements of kidney and liver Cd along with hair, blood, and urine Cd levels were obtained in 29 industrially-exposed workers and ten control subjects. The relationship of hair Cd levels to the Cd values for the kidney, liver, blood, and urine were tested using nonparametric analyses. In the control group no statistically significant correlations were found. In the Cd-exposed workers with more than one year of employment there were weak correlations (p approximately equal to 0.05); however, the relationships were not sufficiently quantitative for predicting the status of an individual worker. Furthermore, when workers with less than one year of exposure were included in the analysis, no significant correlations were obtained. Although this latter group of workers had low body burdens of Cd, exceptionally high Cd concentrations were found in their hair--an observation that was unexpected. It was concluded that hair Cd levels are not a good index of body burden of Cd in the industrially-exposed individual.

• Research Organization: Medical Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
• OSTI ID: 6700861
• Journal Information: Am. J. Ind. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Ind. Med.; (United States) Vol. 2:4; ISSN AJIMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560306* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Man-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
BLOOD
BODY
BODY BURDEN
BODY FLUIDS
CADMIUM
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
GLANDS
HAIR
KIDNEYS
LIVER
MATERIALS
METABOLISM
METALS
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ORGANS
PERSONNEL
SAFETY
SKIN
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
URINE
WASTES