Urinary nickel as bioindicator of workers' Ni exposure in a galvanizing plant in Brazil.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health
; 73(1): 65-8, 2000 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10672494
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
We measured urinary nickel (U-Ni) in ten workers (97 samples) from a galvanizing plant that uses nickel sulfate, and in ten control subjects (55 samples) to examine the association between occupational exposure to airborne Ni and Ni absorption.METHODS:
Samples from the exposed group were taken before and after the work shift on 5 successive workdays. At the same time airborne Ni (A-Ni) was measured using personal samplers. Ni levels in biological material and in the airborne were determined by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry validated method. In the control group the urine samples were collected twice a day, in the before and after the work shift, on 3 successive days.RESULTS:
Ni exposure low to moderate was detected in all the examined places in the plant, the airborne levels varying between 2.8 and 116.7 micrograms/m3 and the urine levels, from samples taken postshift, between 4.5 and 43.2 micrograms/g creatinine (mean 14.7 micrograms/g creatinine). Significant differences in U-Ni creatinine were seen between the exposed and control groups (Student's t test, P < or = 0.01). A significant correlation between U-Ni and A-Ni (r = 0.96; P < or = 0.001) was detected. No statistical difference was observed in U-Ni collected from exposed workers in the 5 successive days, but significant difference was observed between pre- and postshift samples.CONCLUSIONS:
Urinary nickel may be used as a reliable internal dose bioindicator in biological monitoring of workers exposed to Ni sulfate in galvanizing plants regardless of the day of the workweek on which the samples are collected.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Ocupacionais do Ar
/
Níquel
Limite:
Humans
País como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2000
Tipo de documento:
Article