Abstract
Recently, considerable attention has been paid to the negative effects caused by the presence and constant increase in concentration of heavy metals in the environment, as well as to the determination of their content in human biological samples. In this paper, the concentration of chromium in samples of blood and internal organs collected at autopsy from 21 female and 39 male non-occupationally exposed subjects is presented. Elemental analysis was carried out by an electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. Reference ranges of chromium in the blood, brain, stomach, liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart (wet weight) in the population of Southern Poland were found to be 0.11–16.4 ng/mL, 4.7–136 ng/g, 6.1–76.4 ng/g, 11–506 ng/g, 2.9–298 ng/g, 13–798 ng/g, and 3.6–320 ng/g, respectively.
Highlights
Chromium (Cr) is one of the heavy metals that is important for humans [1]
In the analyses of body tissues, the highest chromium concentrations were determined in cumulative organs, such as the lungs and liver, in the ranges of 13.4–798 and 11–506 ng/g, respectively
In 15 blood samples, the concentration of chromium was below the limit of quantification (LOQ, 0.22 ng/mL)
Summary
Chromium (Cr) is one of the heavy metals that is important for humans [1]. It is present in air, water, soil, and any living matter from natural and anthropogenic sources, with the largest release occurring from industrial (metallurgical, refractory, and chemical) sources.The leading consumer of chromium materials, with ferrochromiums as the main components, is the stainless steel industry. Chromium (Cr) is one of the heavy metals that is important for humans [1]. It is present in air, water, soil, and any living matter from natural and anthropogenic sources, with the largest release occurring from industrial (metallurgical, refractory, and chemical) sources. The leading consumer of chromium materials, with ferrochromiums as the main components, is the stainless steel industry. Chromium is mainly used in linings for high temperature industrial furnaces, while in the chemical industry, it is used primarily in pigments. Other routes of exposure like inhalation of ambient air, drinking water, or skin contact with certain consumer products or soils that contain chromium are of rather minor importance [2]. Chromium-rich food includes entrails, meat, mollusks, lobsters, vegetables, bran, whole wheat or rye bread, and unrefined sugar [1, 3]
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