Levels of manganese in the urine of female farmers in non-polluted regions in Japan.
Nearly 1500 urine samples were collected from female farmers in eight regions widely scattered in the islands of Japan in the winter of 1987-1988. The samples were analysed for manganese by wet ashing and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry under strict quality control. The values observed after adjustment for a specific gravity of 1.016 were distributed log-normally with a geometric mean of 0.65 microgram/l and a geometric standard deviation of 2.47. There was no effect of aging or any effect of smoking on the urinary manganese concentration. The inter-regional difference may be present but not yet conclusive. As no sex difference was observed in a previous study, it may be possible to deduce that the value may possibly stand for the "background" level of both men and women, either smoking or non-smoking, among the general Japanese population. The observed value is discussed in comparison with values reported in the literature.
Watanabe
T
T
Department of Enviromental Health, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Nakatsuka
H
H
Ohashi
M
M
Ikeda
M
M
D000383:Agriculture; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008345:Manganese / Q000652:urine*; D012424:Rural Population; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods
D008345:Manganese