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  • Chromium status of tannery workers in relation to metabolic disorders
    Štupar, Janez ...
    Chromium (Cr), being an excellent tanning agent, is widely used in the leatherindustry. In the process of leather production, tannery workers are exposed to either inorganic Cr(III) compounds or Cr ... bound to proteins (leatherdust). The total Cr content in tannery air (1-54 micro g m-3) is rather high in comparison to ambient air (4-6 ng m-3') but the amount of Cr ininhalable particles (<10 micro m) is two to three orders of magnitude less (20-60 ng m-3). The total daily intake of Cr was estimated by the analysis of diet (24.3 +- 4.0 micro g Cr day-1), drinking water (0.3+-0.1 micro g Cr dm-3)and ambient air. The contribution of the latter was dominant for tannery workers and almost negligible (8%) for the unexposed population. Chromium is an essential nutrient required for sugar and fat metabolism. The normal dietary intake of Cr for the occupationally unexposed population is found to be suboptimal (<30 micro g Cr day-1) whereas tannery workers receive on average 150-325 micro g of supplemental Cr day-1. Assessment of the Cr status of both populations was made on the basis of the Cr contents of their scalp hair, pre-shift urine and thermally induced sweat. The median Cr contents in these tissues and fluids were significantly higher (P<O.O1) in tannery workers(hair: 4 micro g Cr g -1, urine: Cr/creatinine 1.7 micro.g Cr g-1, sweat: 25 micro g Cr dm-3) in comparison with the control group (hair: 0.16 micro g Cr g -1, urine: Cr/creatinine 0.13 micro g Cr g -1, sweat: 0.7 micro gCr dm -3). Tannery workers absorbed up to 13 times more Cr in comparison to controls, the amount varying considerably depending on the workplace and duration of exposure. The main route of Cr absorption appears to be through the gastrointestinal tract, where medium to large particles play a dominant role. The absorption of Cr from leather dust may be more efficient in comparison to inorganic Cr(III) compounds. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
    Source: Journal of applied toxicology. - ISSN 0260-437X (Letn. 19, 1999, str. 437-446)
    Type of material - article, component part
    Publish date - 1999
    Language - english
    COBISS.SI-ID - 11744729

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