Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Removal of Trace Elements by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles from Uranium In Situ Recovery Bleed Water and Its Effect on Cell Viability
09:23

Removal of Trace Elements by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles from Uranium In Situ Recovery Bleed Water and Its Effect on Cell Viability

Published on: June 21, 2015

9.2K

Toxic and essential elements in children's blood (<6 years) from Kinshasa, DRC (the Democratic Republic of Congo)

J Tuakuila1, M Kabamba2, H Mata2

  • 1Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic of the Congo; Louvain Center for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology (LTAP), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue E. Mounier 53, Box 52.02.12, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.

Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology : Organ of the Society for Minerals and Trace Elements (GMS)
|November 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

This study measured trace elements in children

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Toxicology
  • Analytical Chemistry

Background:

  • Trace element analysis in children is crucial for assessing nutritional status and exposure to toxic substances.
  • Understanding age-related variations in element concentrations is important for accurate risk assessment.
  • Previous studies have not comprehensively evaluated essential and toxic trace elements in Kinshasa's child population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the concentrations of nine trace elements in whole blood of 100 children.
  • To evaluate potential deficiencies in essential elements and toxic exposures.
  • To investigate the influence of age and sex on these element concentrations.

Main Methods:

  • Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for precise quantification of trace elements.
  • Whole blood samples from 100 children (median age 36 months) were analyzed.
  • Statistical analysis was performed to assess age and sex influences and compare results with established ranges.

Main Results:

  • Essential elements like Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Selenium (Se), and Zinc (Zn) were within normal ranges, but Molybdenum (Mo) exceeded normal levels.
  • Toxic elements such as Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), and Lead (Pb) showed high prevalence of exceeded blood levels.
  • Significant age-related variations were observed for As, Cadmium (Cd), Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn, with no significant sex influence.

Conclusions:

  • Kinshasa children exhibit high exposure to toxic elements Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), and Lead (Pb).
  • No essential element deficiencies were found, but Molybdenum (Mo) levels were elevated.
  • Urgent public health interventions, further research, and regulatory measures are needed to address toxic element exposure in children.

Keywords:
ChildrenKinshasaToxic and essential elementsWhole blood

More Related Videos

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells13:04

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells

Published on: May 16, 2019

35.7K
Experimental Protocol for Using Drosophila As an Invertebrate Model System for Toxicity Testing in the Laboratory06:00

Experimental Protocol for Using Drosophila As an Invertebrate Model System for Toxicity Testing in the Laboratory

Published on: July 10, 2018

12.1K

Related Concept Videos

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements00:57

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

OverviewElements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally-occurring, and fewer still are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.The Periodic Table Provides Information...
161.6K
The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements01:27

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
Periodic Table Provides Information...
18.5K
Types of Toxins01:36

Types of Toxins

Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
3.7K
Toxicity Testing in Animals01:23

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
222
Toxicokinetics: Overview01:21

Toxicokinetics: Overview

Studies that assess how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted (ADME) at toxic doses are termed toxicokinetics. Understanding toxicokinetics helps predict adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and manage toxicity in humans.Toxicokinetics differs from pharmacokinetics mainly in the dose levels studied, with toxicokinetics focusing on higher toxic doses. The kinetics at these levels can be non-linear due to altered physiological processes. Toxicodynamics examines the relationship...
330
Toxic Reactions: Overview01:26

Toxic Reactions: Overview

When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
4.3K