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Lars Barregård,¹ Christian Svalander,² Andrejs Schütz,³ Gunnar Westberg,⁴ Gerd Sällsten,¹ Ingemar Blohmé,⁵ Johan Mölne,² Per-Ola Attman,⁴ and Per Haglind ⁶

¹Department of Occupational Medicine; ²Department of Clinical Pathology; ⁴Department of Nephrology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
³Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
⁵Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
⁶Department of Public Health, City of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

Abstract

Cadmium, mercury, and lead concentrations were determined in deep-frozen kidney cortex biopsies taken from 36 living, healthy Swedish kidney donors (18 males and 18 females) , who were 30-71 (mean 53) years of age. Information about occupation, smoking, the presence of dental amalgam, and fish consumption could be obtained for 27 of the donors. The samples (median dry weight 0.74 mg) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the results were transformed to wet-weight concentrations. The median kidney Cd was 17 µg/g (95% confidence interval, 14-23 µg/g) , which was similar in males and females. In 10 active smokers, the median kidney Cd was 24 µg/g, and in 12 who never smoked, it was 17 µg/g. The median kidney Hg was 0.29 µg/g, with higher levels in females (median 0.54 µg/g) than in males (median 0.16 µg/g) . Subjects with amalgam fillings had higher kidney Hg (median 0.47 µg/g, n = 20) than those without dental amalgam (median 0.15 µg/g, n = 6) , but kidney Hg was below the detection limit in some samples. Nearly half of the samples had kidney Pb below the detection limit. The median kidney Pb was estimated as 0.14 µg/g. This is the first study of heavy metals in kidney cortex of living, healthy subjects, and the results are relatively similar to those of a few previous autopsy studies, indicating that results from autopsy cases are not seriously biased in relation to kidney metal concentrations in the general population. Cd concentrations in those who never smoked were relatively high, indicating considerable Cd intake from the diet in Sweden. The effect of dental amalgam on kidney Hg was as expected, although the reason for the difference in Hg levels between males and females is unclear. Key words: biopsy, cadmium, heavy metals, kidney, kidney donors, lead, mercury, renal cortex. Environ Health Perspect 107:867-871 (1999) . [Online 1 October 1999]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107p867-871barregard/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to L. Barregård, Department of Occupational Medicine, Sahlgrenska, University Hospital, S:t Sigfridsgatan 85, Göteborg, Sweden. Telephone: 46 31 335 48 87. Fax: 46 31 40 97 28. E-mail: lars.barregard@ymk.gu.se

We thank A. Akantis for valuable technical assistance.

The study was supported by the Swedish Medical Research Council, the Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and the Medical Faculty, Lund University.

Received 19 April 1999 ; accepted 17 June 1999.