URINARY ARSENIC SPECIES IN DEVON AND CORNWALL RESIDENTS, UK - A PILOT-STUDY

First void urine samples were collected from 24 residents in an area o f past intense mining and smelting activity of arsenical ores, Seven s amples were also taken from a control village, The arsenic species in the urine were separated and quantified with an HPLC-ICP-MS system equ ipped with a hydraulic high-pressure nebulizer, The detection limit fo r arsenic in urine using this system is 0.05 mu g dm(-3), Creatinine w as also determined for all samples to remove the influence of urine de nsity and all results were expressed in mu g As g(-1) creatinine. The results showed elevated levels of both organic and inorganic arsenic c ompounds in the 'exposed' population's urine when compared with those of the control group, The total As concentrations (less arsenobetaine) in the 'exposed' population were in the range 2.7-58.9 mu g g(-1) cre atinine (mean 13.4, median 9.2 mu g g(-1)) compared with the control g roup data range 2.5-5.3 mu g g(-1) (mean 4.2, median 4.7 mu g g(-1)).