Assessment of trace element concentrations in human lungs of urban subjects

Abstract Data available to date on pulmonary trace element levels show wide variability which cannot be simply accounted for by biological individual variations. Research is thus in progress to assess reference values for subsequent toxicological evaluations. In this study, samples of lung bulk were excised from 26 nonsmoking subjects, deceased for nonpathological causes, aged more than 50 years, and with no history of occupational exposure to elements. All the subjects had been inhabitants of the same urban area (Terni, an industrial town in Umbria, central Italy). Moreover, to study the regional distribution of elements in lungs, for 13 of the 26 subjects the following zones were considered: tracheal bifurcation, bronchi, subpleural tissues, lymph nodes, and pulmonary lobes. Determinations were carried out by ICP-AES and ETA-AAS for a total of 16 elements. The following mean values were obtained (mg kg −1 wet tissue): Al, 8.73; B, 0.50; Ba, 0.17; Cd, 0.11; Co, 0.03; Cr, 0.36; Cu, 1.21; Li, 0.07; Mg, 60.6; Mn, 0.18; Ni, 0.32; Pb, 0.25; Si, 11.2; Sr, 0.09; V, 0.03; and Zn, 10.5. Results indicate a spatial distribution for concentrations in the lung pair, as a rule, within one order of magnitude. A comparison with the findings of a previous study based on a group of 13 Roman subjects was carried out.