[A study on urinary tin in healthy adults: relationship between the concentration of urinary tin and life style]

The concentrations of urinary tin in healthy adults in Aichi prefecture were determined by anodic stripping voltammetry over a period of three years (1986-1988), to obtain the normal tin level in urine and to elucidate the influence of environmental alterations on health conditions in the future. In addition to the above-mentioned method, the relationship to life style, dietary habits, smoking habits and living environment were studied, and the following results were obtained. 1) The mean +/- standard deviation of urinary tin levels for males was 3.7 +/- 2.2 (micrograms/g creatinine), and 5.9 +/- 3.0 (micrograms/g creatinine) for females. The data showed logarithmic normal distributions in both sexes, and the mean concentration for females was significantly higher than that for males (P less than 0.001). The levels of urinary tin concentrations significantly increased according with age. 2) Significant correlations of urinary tin concentrations between two observations were noticed in repeated by observed subjects. 3) As to the dietary habits, fish intake increased the urinary tin concentration, but no definite association with canned-food intake was observed. 4) Smoking habits and living environment also showed a tendency to increase the urinary tin concentration, but the difference was not statistically significant.