Percutaneous absorption studies after forty years.

The authors review the development of ways to study percuatneous absorption of chemicals and summarize the current status of investigations in this area.

A mathematical model for the estimation of nickel internal dose in populations under occupational and environmental exposure.

Using the results of own investigations as well as available literature data an attempt was made to develop a mathematical model for the estimation of nickel internal dose on the basis of nickel concentration in urine.

Identification and evaluation of nickel intake sources.

The level of nickel in a full-day diet, drinking water and complementary liquids was measured in groups of persons occupationally and environmentally exposed to this element. Both adults and children (in preschool and school age) living in industrial and recreation areas were considered. Concentrations of nickel in the occupational and ambient air were also taken into account. Measurement data were used for calculating the intake and uptake of nickel in the investigated groups. It was found that contaminated air at workplaces under occupational exposure, and food under environmental exposure were the main sources of the nickel intake.

[Basic indicators of physical development of schoolchildren living in the area of an industrial plant processing non-ferrous metals]. / Podstawowe wskazniki rozwoju fizycznego dzieci szkolnych zamieszkalych w rejonie oddzialywania zakladu przemyslu metali niezelaznych.

The purpose of the study was an analysis of the basic indices of somatic development of school children in the Olkusz area with mines of zinc, lead and cadmium, and metallurgic plants processing the ores of these metals. The studied group comprised 747 children aged 5 to 14 years attending randomly selected schools in Olkusz, Bukowna and Boleslaw. The height and body mass were measured on medical scales with height scale. The obtained results were compared with those of similar measurements of children in other parts of the country with different degrees of environmental pollution with non-iron metals. In the Olkusz area the height of the children was slightly smaller than in other parts.

Occupational and environmental exposure to nickel in Poland.

Exposure to nickel was evaluated on the base of nickel in urine concentration (Ni-U) in 649 persons both adults and pre-school and school children; 241 persons were occupationally exposed in steel-mill and rolling-mill. Environmentally exposed groups consisted of inhabitants of industrial and rural towns. The occupationally exposed groups showed Ni-U mean concentrations amounted to 25.7, 18.1, 15.9, and 15.7 micrograms/m3. In environmentally exposed groups of adults, Ni-U concentrations were almost equal to those in persons inhabiting industrial and rural areas-7.8 and 7.7.micrograms/dm3, respectively. Ni-U concentrations in children groups were more differentiated 8.5 and 9.2 micrograms/dm3 in rural area and 9.9 and 10.6 micrograms/dm3 in industrial area. The recommended mean group allowable Ni-U concentrations for occupational exposure amounts to 12 micrograms/dm3 and for environmental exposure 2.7 micrograms/dm3. In view of the above mentioned Ni-U allowable values it is evident that there exist significant occupational exposure and elevated environmental exposure in the defined percent of the investigated population.

Evaluation of the skin uptake of mercuric chloride in man.

Skin on the forearms of male human volunteers was exposed to aqueous HgCl2 solutions. It was assumed that loss of mercury from the test solution was equivalent to percutaneous absorption. Two parameters important for influencing uptake considered as the rate of absorption were investigated: the concentration of HgCl2 solutions (0.01, 0.1 and 0.2 M) and the time of exposure (5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 min). The absorption rate from 0.1 M HgCl2 solution decreased from 9.3 micrograms cm-2 min-1 during a 5 min exposure to 2.5 micrograms cm-2 min-1 during a 1 h exposure. A ten-fold decrease of HgCl2 concentration resulted in an approximately ten-fold decrease of the absorption rate, from 4.6 to 0.4 microgram cm-2 min-1 during a 30 min exposure. The results indicate that the absorption rate is a directly related function of concentration and an indirectly related function of time of exposure.

Absorption of hexavalent chromium by skin in man.

Absorption by skin of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions of sodium chromate in man was investigated. It was found that the amount of chromium absorbed was related to the concentration of Cr6+ in solution and to time of exposure. For 0.01, 0.1, and 0.2 molar solutions of chromium, skin absorption rates during 1 h exposure were 1.1, 6.5, and 10.0 micrograms/cm2/h respectively.

[Choice of the conditions for collecting urine samples for assessing occupational exposure of electric steel plant workers to nickel, chromium, manganese and copper]. / Dobór warunków pobierania próbek moczu dla oceny ekspozycji zawodowej pracowników elektrostalowni na nikiel, chrom, mangan i miedz.

The concentrations of Ni, Cr, Mn and Cu were determined in single urine samples of Electric Steel Works Workers, collected three times during a workshift on the 1st and fourth working days. The obtained results permitted settlement of optimum duration of urine samples collection, i.e. the fourth day after at least four hours. Basing on the determined concentrations of Ni, Cr, Mn and Cu the magnitude of Electric Steel Works workers' exposure was evaluated.