Determination of aluminum in bone in haemodialyzed patients, using inductively coupled argon plasma emission...

We propose a new method for measuring aluminium in bone tissue, using argon plasma emission spectrophotometry. The detection limit in the bone nitric digestion liquid was 0.015 mumol/l (corresponding to 0.0075 mumol/g, i.e. 0.2 microgram/g for a tissue sample with 1.0 g wet weight). Within-run CVs were 4.66% and 1.43% for tissues containing 0.15 and 0.64 mumol/g, respectively. Other bone constituents such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, do not affect aluminum results. Normal values obtained in bone of subjects not suspected of aluminium intoxication were: mean +/- SD; 0.09 +/- 0.044 mumol/g (n = 24). In dialysis patients we found a mean bone aluminium content of 0.75 mumol/g for concentrations ranging between 0.16 and 3.38 mumol/g.