Cj. Horng et Sr. Lin, DETERMINATION OF URINARY ZINC, CHROMIUM, AND COPPER IN STEEL PRODUCTION WORKERS, Biological trace element research, 55(3), 1996, pp. 307-314
The aim of our investigation was to determine the concentrations of Cu
, Zn, and Cr in urine samples under routine clinical laboratory condit
ions. To asses the reliability of these methods, critical factors such
as detection limit(s), calibration range(s), cost, accuracy, and prec
ision were studied. Our method was employed for the quantitative deter
mination of zinc, chromium, and copper in urine samples from steel pro
duction and quality control (QC) workers and healthy unexposed control
s. After pretreatment with acids, the samples were digested via a micr
owave oven. Zinc was determined by flame absorption spectrophotometry
(FAAS), whereas chromium and copper were determined by a graphite-furn
ace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS). Our results indicate
that urinary zinc, chromium, and copper levels of the exposed workers
are significantly higher than those of the controls. The possibility t
hat these metals are involved in the etiology of diseases is discussed
and recommendations are made to improve workplace ventilation and ind
ustrial hygiene practices.