Levels and temporal trends of trace element concentrations in vertebral bone

Area of Science:

• Biogeochemistry
• Human Physiology
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Bone serves as a reservoir for essential and toxic elements.
• Understanding elemental accumulation in bone with age is crucial for health and forensic studies.
• Previous research has not comprehensively analyzed multiple elements in sudden death victim bone samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify iron, zinc, rubidium, strontium, and lead in human vertebral bone.
• To investigate the relationship between elemental concentrations and age in sudden death victims.
• To explore correlations between different elemental concentrations within bone.

Main Methods:

• X-ray fluorescence analysis was performed on ashed whole bone samples from 51 sudden death victims.
• Statistical analysis, including Spearman correlation, was used to assess concentration-age and concentration-concentration relationships.
• Median values and rates of increase were calculated for each element.

Main Results:

• Median concentrations were 893 ppm for iron, 213 ppm for zinc, 25 ppm for rubidium, 108 ppm for strontium, and 25 ppm for lead.
• Significant positive correlations were found between age and concentrations of iron (rs = 0.45), zinc (rs = 0.43), and lead (rs = 0.63).
• Significant correlations were also observed between iron and lead (rs = 0.44) and strontium (rs = 0.30).

Conclusions:

• Bone elemental composition changes significantly with age, particularly for iron, zinc, and lead.
• The strong correlation of lead with age suggests accumulation over a lifetime.
• These findings provide valuable data for understanding human bone elemental dynamics and potential toxicological implications.