Urinary cadmium as indicator of renal cadmium in humans: an autopsy study.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the equivalent cadmium levels in renal cortex and in urine, as based on autopsy analysis of subjects not exposed to cadmium occupationally.

METHODS

The levels of Cd were determined in renal cortex, liver, urine and urinary bladder of 39 subjects deceased at the age 42 +/- 14 years. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (kidneys, liver) and flameless AAS (urine, bladder) were used.

RESULTS

The urinary cadmium level determined post mortem is strongly correlated with the renal Cd levels. Eliminating cases with high urinary proteins and extrapolating from sets of data with elevated urinary protein concentration to its normal range yielded a value of 1.7 microg/g creatinine as equivalent to the renal level of 50 microg/g w.w.

CONCLUSIONS

It seems possible to use monitoring data for cadmium in urine and in renal cortex in a coherent way.