Biologically active metals in human tissues. I. The effect of age and sex on the concentration of copper in aorta, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas and skeletal muscle.

Autopsy specimens of aorta, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas and skeletal muscle were collected from 86 accident victims. The copper concentration in each tissue was determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The descending order of the tissues in respect to copper concentration was: liver, heart, kidney, pancreas, lung, muscle, and aorta. No significant difference was found in the copper levels of samples from male and female autopsies. When the effect of age on the average copper concentration was studied, liver and kidney showed a decreasing concentration up to maturity, the copper concentration in pancreas and skeletal muscle showed a continuous decline with increasing age, and there was no clear-cut effect of age on the copper concentration of heart, lung and aorta. According to the results the Finnish population does not differ, on the average, from other populations with respect to tissue copper concentrations.