title: Relationship between exposure to heavy metals and prevalence of renal dysfunction.
abstract: Total proteinuria (biuret method) and the urinary excretion of specific proteins (albumin, transferrin, orosomucoid and IgG measured by an automated immunoprecipitin reaction and beta 2-microglobulin determined by radioimmunoassay) have been assessed in four groups of workers: a control group (n = 88) and a group exposed to cadmium (n = 148), mercury vapour (n = 63) and lead (n = 25) respectively. The results demonstrate that a moderate exposure to lead (lead concentration in blood < 62 micrograms/100 ml) does not change the prevalence of renal dysfunction, whereas mercury vapour exposure increases the prevalence of subjects with excessive excretion of albumin (> 12 mg/g creatinine), orosomucoid (> 4.35 mg/g creat.) and IgG (> 3.5 mg/g creat.). Besides an increased excretion of beta 2-microglobulin (> 200 micrograms/g creat.) workers exposed to cadmium excrete a greater amount of high molecular weight proteins. An increased excretion of urinary proteins occurs when mercury and cadmium level in urine exceeds 50 and 10 micrograms/g creatinine respectively.
mesh_terms: D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000503:physiopathology; D008670:Metals / Q000633:toxicity*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D008670:Metals