Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-64-2013-2300
Detection of Thallium and Uranium in Well Water and Biological Specimens of an Eastern Croatian Population
Mario Ćurković
orcid.org/0000-0003-0101-0254
; Department of Family Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
Laszlo Sipos
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Zagreb, Croatia
Dinko Puntarić
; Department of Public Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
Katarina Dodig-Ćurković
; Department of Psychiatry, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
Nela Pivac
; Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Kristina Kralik
; Department of Biophysics, Medical Statistics and Medical Informatics, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek School of Medicine, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we measured the concentrations of thallium and uranium in local water resources from three villages (Ćelije, Draž, and Potnjani) in eastern Croatia, with the aim to determine if they were associated with the levels of these same elements in the serum, urine, and hair collected from the residents of this area. The exposure of the local population to thallium and uranium through drinking water was generally low. ICP-MS was capable of measuring the levels of both of the elements in almost all of the analysed samples. Although there were differences in the concentrations of both elements in water samples and biological specimens taken from the residents, they did not reach the maximum contaminant level in any of the four sample types studied. Although hair was previously reported as an excellent indicator of occupational and environmental exposure to various elements, our study did not confirm it as a reliable biological material for tracing thallium and uranium levels, mainly due to the very low concentrations of these elements, often well below the detection limit. However, our results have shown that the concentration of thallium and uranium in drinking water can be effectively traced in urine samples.
Keywords
biological specimens; inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry; local water resources; toxic metals
Hrčak ID:
107630
URI
Publication date:
20.9.2013.
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