Simultaneous determination of urinary cadmium, cobalt, lead, and nickel concentrations in steel production workers by differential pulse stripping voltammetry.

Screening for metals in urine is important because toxic levels of these elements are linked to disease. In the current study, the authors used differential pulse stripping voltammetry on a hanging mercury drop electrode for the simultaneous determination of cadmium, cobalt, lead, and nickel in the urine of 63 production and 63 quality control workers in a steel production plant, along with 63 matched normal controls. Urinary sampling is a noninvasive procedure, and in this study participants had good compliance. Metal levels for both the production and quality control workers were significantly higher than for controls. The results reveal the need for immediate improvements in workplace ventilation and industrial hygiene practices for this cohort.