This study determined the levels of specifi c trace elements in the urine of children aged 9 – 15
years old in zinc-contaminated areas and studied the simultaneous presence of certain elements
infl uenced the bioavailability of lead and cadmium. Urine samples of 736 children living
in three sub-districts of Tak province, including Prathadpadeang, Mae Tao, and Mae Ku,
were investigated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine levels
of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). The results showed that
43.0% of children lived in Mae Tao sub-district. The body weight of the subjects at birth
was < 3,000 grams, and they were underweight as per body mass index. The diff erence
in Cd level in urine (UCd) between 13-15 years old and 9-12 years old was statistically
signifi cant. Furthermore, statistically signifi cant diff erences were observed in levels of Cu
level in urine (UCu) and Pb level in urine (UPb) based on the gender of the subjects. UCd
and UPb levels were higher compared to other trace elements in older children and female/
male (SRM 2670:NIST). In contrast, UCu and UZn levels were low. Stepwise regression
analyses indicated that Cu concentration was a dominant factor infl uencing the availability of Pb
(r2 = 0.25) and Cd (r2 = 0.16) in human body as follows: Lead availability = 0.295 + 0.304 Cu + 0.256 Fe +
152 Zn, Cadmium availability = 0.050 - 0.079 Cu + 0.057 Fe + 0.395 Zn. Our study concluded that Cu levels
were low in children aged 9-15 years old, which could have led to accumulation of Cd and Pb in their bodies.
Keywords
Trace elements; Lead and cadmium bioavailability; Age 9-15 years old; Tak; Zinc mining
ENIVRONMENT ASIA
Published by : Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment Contributions welcome at : http://www.tshe.org/en/
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