URINARY CADMIUM AS INDICATOR OF RENAL CADMIUM IN HUMANS - AN AUTOPSY STUDY

Objective: To estimate the equivalent cadmium levels in renal cortex a nd in urine, as based on autopsy analysis of subjects not exposed to c admium occupationally. Methods: The levels of Cd were determined in re nal cortex, liver, urine and urinary bladder of 39 subjects deceased a t the age 42 +/- 14 years. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (kidne ys, liver) and flameless AAS (urine, bladder) were used. Results: The urinary cadmium level determined post mortem is strongly correlated wi th the renal Cd levels. Eliminating cases with high urinary proteins a nd extrapolating from sets of data with elevated urinary protein conce ntration to its normal range yielded a value of 1.7 mu g/g creatinine as equivalent to the renal level of 50 mu g/g w.w. Conclusions: It see ms possible to use monitoring data for cadmium in urine and in renal c ortex in a coherent way.