Author(s)

ANTE CVITKOVIĆ, KRUNOSLAV CAPAK, JASNA JURASOVIĆ, ANDREJA BARIŠIN, IGOR IVIĆ-HOFMAN, VEDRAN POLJAK, MARIJANA VALJETIĆ

Abstract

The aim is to evaluate the exposure of Slavonski Brod citizens to metals from the environment: lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, nickel, manganese and thallium. Concentrations of Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Ni, Mn and Tl were analyzed in the whole blood and/or serum, urine and hair of 40 examinees from Slavonski Brod. According to “wind rose” data and the vicinity of the oil refinery, examinees were divided in two groups: Group I with 20 examinees (17 females/3 males) and Group II with 20 examinees (13 females/7 males). Metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analysis accuracy was confirmed with reference samples. The difference between the groups was tested using the Mann-Whitney U test. Reference values were taken from German commission for biomonitoring, biomonitoring studies with Canadian examinees, Mayo Medical Laboratories reference values, USA and London Pathology, and Laboratory Medicine from Canada. There was no difference in age between the groups (Group I: x = 48.2; SD ±15.2; Group II: x = 50.7; SD ± 21.7; z = –0.590; p = 0.555). Statistically significant differences were determined in As in blood (Group I: M = 2.10; Group II: M = 3.20; z = –3.414; p = 0.0006), in Tl in blood (Group I: M = 0.012; Group II: M = 0.021; z = –2.37; p = 0.018), in Pb in urine (Group I: M = 0.71; Group II: M = 1.20; z = –2.12; p = 0.034) and in Mn in urine (Group I: M = 0.19; Group II: M = 0.11; z = 2.04; p = 0.042).

In Group I, one patient had elevated cadmium in hair (0.227 μg/g), the second had elevated arsenic in urine (78.73 μg/L), the third had elevated mercury in blood (16.53 μg/L) and hair (2021 μg/kg); in Group II, one had elevated lead in urine (6.88 μg/L) and hair (8.39 μg/g), the second had elevated cadmium in urine (3.11 μg/L), the third had elevated cadmium in blood (2.98 μg/L), the fourth had elevated lead in blood (171.9 μg/L) and urine (20.1 μg/L), and the fifth had elevated lead in urine (10.01 μg/L). The conclusion of this study is that the differences between the two groups are within referent values and this study should be expanded with more subjects and more parameters.

Keywords

metals, oil refinery