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Antimony in blood and urine of infants
A Cullen1, B Kiberd, T Matthews
1Department of Paediatrics, University College Dublin, Children's Hospital, Ireland.
Insights
This study establishes the normal reference range for antimony in infant serum and urine, confirming low levels in healthy babies. These findings are crucial for understanding environmental exposures in early life.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Toxicology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Antimony is a metalloid with increasing industrial applications, raising concerns about potential human exposure.
- Limited data exists on reference ranges for antimony in vulnerable populations, such as infants.
- Establishing baseline levels is essential for assessing environmental exposure and potential health risks in early life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the reference range for antimony concentrations in the serum and urine of healthy infants.
- To provide baseline data for pediatric environmental health assessments.
- To investigate the correlation between serum and urinary antimony levels in infants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 100 randomly selected infants within their first year of life participated.
- Single blood and urine samples were collected from each infant.
- Antimony levels were quantified using highly sensitive inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Main Results:
- The established reference range for serum antimony in infants (0-1 year) is 0.09-0.25 µg/L.
- The upper 95th percentile for urinary antimony, normalized to creatinine, was determined to be 2.6 ng/mg creatinine.
- A very weak correlation was observed between serum and urinary antimony concentrations.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully established reference ranges for antimony in infant serum and urine.
- Low concentrations of antimony were confirmed in both biological matrices of healthy infants.
- These findings contribute valuable data for monitoring environmental exposure in pediatric populations.
Aim:
To establish a reference range for antimony in the serum and urine of infants in the first year of life.
Methods:
100 infants were selected randomly from the population. Each infant had a single blood and urine sample taken. Antimony was assayed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Results:
The reference range for antimony in the serum of infants in the first year of life was established as 0.09-0.25 microgram/l. The upper 95% centile for urinary antimony, corrected for creatinine, in the same population was 2.6 ng/mg creatinine. There was a very weak correlation between the serum and urine concentrations.
Conclusions:
This study confirms the presence of low concentrations of antimony in the serum and urine of healthy infants.