Abstract
An X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique using plane polarized X-rays for excitation was used for in vivo measurements of cadmium in the kidney cortex among non-occupationally exposed members of the general population in southern Sweden. The measured concentrations of cadmium in the kidney cortex of smokers (median 28 μg/g, n = 10) were significantly higher (P = 0.0036) as compared to those in non-smokers (median 8 μg/g, n = 10), and so were the cadmium concentrations in blood and urine. The results show that smoking considerably increases the cadmium concentration in the kidney cortex and that smoking is a major source of cadmium exposure in the general population of Sweden. Except in the presence of very deeply situated kidneys, where the minimum detectable concentration is high, non-invasive in vivo XRF analysis of kidney cadmium should be a useful tool for evaluating the effects of long-term low-level exposure to cadmium and the risk of kidney damage.
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Nilsson, U., Schütz, A., Skerfving, S. et al. Cadmium in kidneys in Swedes measured in vivo using X-ray fluorescence analysis. Int. Arch Occup Environ Heath 67, 405–411 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00381053
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00381053