[Determination of thallium in the urine with colloidal palladium as the matrix modifier by graphite furnace atomic absorption Spectrometry].

Objective: To instruct a method of determining thallium in the urine by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GF-AAS) with colloidal palladium as the matrix modifier. Methods: Urine samples were first diluted and then determined by GF-AAS with colloidal palladium while using thermal sample injection. Results: The optimum volume of colloidal palladium was 6 µl and the best ashing temperature was 600-800 ℃ while the atomization temperature was 1700-1900 ℃ . This method showed a good linearity relationship when the concentration between 0.33 and 50.0 µg/L while the correlation coefficient of standard curve line was 0.9992, and the detection limit was 0.33 µg/L and the recovery rate was between 92.7% and 102.3% with the intra-day precision in the range of 2.55% to 3.66% and the inter-day precision in the range of 1.77% to 3.85%. Conclusion: This method has the advantages of low detect limit, high sensitivity and good precision, and it can be used in the biological monitoring and emergency detecting of workers exposed to thallium.

Determination of thallium in urine, blood, and hair in illicit opioid users in Iran.

CONTEXT: Heavy metals, including thallium and lead, are introduced to illicit drug users' body as a result of using drugs such as cocaine and heroin. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine urine, blood, and hair thallium (Tl) concentrations in illicit opioid users along with the relevant clinical signs and symptoms consistent with thallotoxicosis and to compare them with the corresponding variables in the control non-opioid user group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 50 illicit opioid users who had abused opioids continuously for more than a year, referred to Amirie Drug Abuse Treatment Clinic in Kashan, Iran. The control group included 50 non-opioid users. Thallium concentrations in urine, blood, and hair were assessed in both groups (n = 100) using electrothermal (graphite furnace) atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS, GF AAS). RESULTS: In the studied group, the median (interquartile range) concentrations of thallium in urine, blood, and hair were 54.8 ± 79.9 µg/L, 14.5 ± 11.1 µg/L, and 5.4 ± 3.7 µg/g, respectively; these values were 4.8 ± 5.2 µg/L, 2.5 ± 2.4 µg/L, and 1.4 ± 1.1 µg/g, respectively, in the control group. There were significant differences in urine, blood, and hair thallium concentrations between the study group and the control group (p < 0.001). There were significant correlations between duration of illicit opioid use and urine thallium concentrations (r = 0.394, p = 0.005) and hair thallium concentrations (r = 0.293, p = 0.039), but not with blood thallium concentrations (r = 0.246, p = 0.085). Urine and blood thallium concentrations of illicit opioid users with clinical signs and symptoms consistent with thallotoxicosis of weakness (p = 0.01), depression (p = 0.03), and headache (p = 0.03) were higher than users without these problems. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that thallium concentrations in urine, blood, and hair in illicit opioid users were significantly higher than the comparable concentrations in the control group. This can be due to the use of illicit opioids adulterated with thallium. Also, this study showed long-term illicit opioid use may lead to thallium exposure. In addition, cigarette smoking was associated with increased thallium exposure.

Examining of Thallium in Cigarette Smokers.

Smoking is one of the sources of thallium which is considered as a toxic heavy metal. The aim of this study was to determine urinary thallium levels and related variables in smokers, compared to a control group. The study was conducted on 56 participants who had smoked continuously during the year before they were referred to Kashan Smoking Cessation Clinic. Fifty-three nonsmokers who were family members or friends of the smokers were selected as the control group. Urinary thallium was measured in both groups (n = 109) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean value (with SD) for urinary thallium in the smokers (10.16 ± 1.82 µg/L) was significantly higher than in the control group (2.39 ± 0.63 µg/L). There was a significant relationship between smoking duration and urinary thallium levels (P = 0.003). In a subgroup of smokers who was addicted to opium and opium residues (n = 9), the mean level of thallium (37.5 ± 13.09 µg/L) was significantly higher than in the other smokers (4.93 ± 4.45; P = 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed opioid abuse, insomnia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), together were strong predictors of urinary thallium levels in smokers. There was no significant difference in thallium level in hookah smokers (P = 0.299) or in those with COPD compared to other smokers (P = 0.375). Urinary thallium levels of smokers with clinical signs of depression, sleep disorders, memory loss, and sweating were higher than those of smokers without these signs. Since thallium, as other toxic metals is accumulated in the body, and cigarette smoking also involves carcinogenic exposures and health hazards for passively exposed people, the need for cigarette control policies is emphasized.

Associations of multiple metals with kidney outcomes in lead workers.

OBJECTIVES: Environmental exposure to multiple metals is common. A number of metals cause nephrotoxicity with acute and/or chronic exposure. However, few epidemiologic studies have examined the impact of metal coexposure on kidney function. Therefore, the authors evaluated associations of antimony and thallium with kidney outcomes and assessed the impact of cadmium exposure on those associations in lead workers. METHODS: Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between ln-urine thallium, antimony and cadmium levels with serum creatinine- and cystatin-C-based glomerular filtration measures and ln-urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG). RESULTS: In 684 participants, median urine thallium and antimony were 0.39 and 0.36 µg/g creatinine, respectively. After adjustment for lead dose, urine creatinine and kidney risk factors, higher ln-urine thallium was associated with higher serum creatinine- and cystatin-C-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate; associations remained significant after adjustment for antimony and cadmium (regression coefficient for serum creatinine-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate =5.2 ml/min/1.73 m2; 95% CI =2.4 to 8.0). Antimony associations with kidney outcomes were attenuated by thallium and cadmium adjustment; thallium and antimony associations with NAG were attenuated by cadmium. CONCLUSIONS: Urine thallium levels were significantly associated with both serum creatinine- and cystatin-C-based glomerular filtration measures in a direction opposite that expected with nephrotoxicity. Given similarities to associations recently observed with cadmium, these results suggest that interpretation of urine metal values, at exposure levels currently present in the environment, may be more complex than previously appreciated. These results also support multiple metal analysis approaches to decrease the potential for inaccurate risk conclusions.

Short-term thallium intoxication: dermatological findings correlated with thallium concentration.

BACKGROUND: The dermatological features and skin biopsy findings of short-term thallium intoxication have been described. However, the correlation between the dermatological findings and the thallium concentration, the prognosis of peripheral neuropathy, and a cutaneous nerve biopsy study are lacking. OBSERVATIONS: Two patients initially developed perioral numbness, erythematous facial rashes, and polyneuropathy after ingesting thallium-containing water. Severe diffuse alopecia was noted, and a skin biopsy specimen revealed parakeratosis and vacuolar degeneration of the basal layer. Examinations of the hair mount demonstrated a tapered appearance of the anagen root. A serial cutaneous nerve biopsy study showed a loss of epidermal nerves 7 weeks and even 1 year after the thallium intoxication. A toxicology survey disclosed a high concentration of thallium (about 3124 mg/L) in the water. The clinical dermatological features subsided completely, but polyneuropathy with severe painful feet persisted. The blood and daily urinary thallium concentrations decreased slowly in the following 3-month period. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical dermatological features subsided completely, but painful polyneuropathy persisted. The series cutaneous nerve biopsy specimens showed persistent damage to the sensory nerve endings. The disappearance of the dermatological features and the appearance of Mees lines correlated with the decrease of blood and urinary thallium concentrations.

The determination of metals (antimony, bismuth, lead, cadmium, mercury, palladium, platinum, tellurium, thallium, tin and tungsten) in urine samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

OBJECTIVE: An analytical method has been established to determine the concentration of antimony (Sb), bismuth (Bi), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), Palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), tellurium (Te), tin (Sn), thallium (Tl) and tungsten (W) in urine. The aim was to develop a method which is equally suitable for the determination of environmentally as well as occupationally caused metal excretion. METHODS: Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was used for the determination of metals. Calibration was done using aqueous solutions and standard addition respectively. RESULTS: Urine samples of 14 persons occupationally non-exposed to metals were analysed. With the exception of Pt and Bi all the metals were found in these urine samples. The detection limits for these metals lie between 5 and 50 ng/l. CONCLUSIONS: For some metals, which are important from an occupational as well as an environmental viewpoint, ICP-MS is more sensitive than atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). ICP-MS, moreover, is welcome as a reference method for AAS with the additional advantage of multi-element measurement.

[Repeated ingestion with suicidal intent of potentially lethal amounts of thallium]. / Wiederholte Ingestion potentiell letaler Thalliummengen in suizidaler Absicht.

30 minutes after drinking half a cup of rat poison a 16-year-old girl was admitted to hospital. In addition to various enteric detoxification measures forced dialysis was instituted and, after the urinary thallium level had become known (9 mg/l), haemodialysis was begun and ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian blue) administered (0.5 mg daily for six days). She had no symptoms at any time. After 10 days she was discharged. Five days after discharge she was again admitted, with colic-like abdominal pain, vomiting, paraesthesias of the hands and feet, and in a state of agitation. She had once again ingested rat poison, about one cup. Physical examination revealed little of consequence, except diffuse alopecia. Urinary thallium concentration was 37 mg/l. In the electrocardiogram the P-R interval was shortened to 0.11 s and T waves inverted in leads III and V1. Electronmicroscopy of cardiac and skeletal biopsies revealed lipid droplets, increased sarcoplasm and widening of some of the tubules. Treatment consisted of haemodialysis, forced diuresis (1 l urine/h), administration of ferric ferrocyanide, orthograde intestinal infusions and potassium substitution (serum level: 5 mmol/l). After 28 days the patient was discharged into psychiatric care.

Trace element reference values in tissues from inhabitants of the European Union. VIII. Thallium in the Italian population.

In order to establish reference values of thallium in tissues of the general population the element was determined in blood (TlB) and urine (TlU) of 123 healthy inhabitants living in the Marche region, Central Italy. The analysis was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS; detection limit in our experimental conditions, 0.001 micrograms Tl/I), which was validated by neutron activation analysis (NAA) and laser induced fluorecence (LIF) spectroscopy. The check of pre-analytical factors indicated a low risk of contamination and loss of Tl during sampling, handling and storage before the instrumental analysis (blank of the entire procedure less than the detection limit). Mean values of TlU and TlB were 0.066 micrograms Tl/l and 0.063 micrograms Tl/l, respectively (median in both cases 0.057 microgram Tl/l). No conclusive evidence concerning the distribution followed by our data set, normal or log-normal, were drawn, although Lilliefors test and Kolmogorov's D-test showed a tendency for TlB to follow both the normal and the log-normal while TlU followed a log-normal distribution. Overall correlations between TlU and TlB are rather weak. A significant, but not high, correlation (P < 0.0004, r = 0.44) was observed in females. Age, sex, smoking habits and alcohol consumption did not seem to play any role on TlU and TlB. Tentatively proposed reference intervals are 0.019-0.17 microgram Tl/l (urine) and 0.014-0.19 microgram Tl/l (blood).

Biochemical diagnosis of an hereditary aminolaevulinate dehydratase deficiency in a 63-year-old man.

Porphyrin metabolism was investigated in a 63-year-old male patient who developed a subacute onset polyneuropathy with predominance of motor signs in the upper limb. The screening for lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum and thallium was negative. The study of porphyrin metabolism showed remarkable abnormalities, particularly a very high level of plasmatic 5-aminolaevulinic acid contrasting with a normal level of porphobilinogen and a nearly complete loss of activity of aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase with no regenerative response to dithiothreitol or zinc ions. The other causes of aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase deficiency (tyrosinaemia, alcoholism, smoking, cirrhosis, renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus) were ruled out. The diagnosis of primary aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase deficiency was proposed and confirmed by the familial study, which revealed the existence of several heterozygous members in this family.