Summary
Cobalt exposure level and its concentrations in blood and urine were determined for 175 hard metal workers. For control data, the cobalt concentrations in blood and urine were measured for 20 office workers. The exposed workers had significantly higher cobalt concentrations in both blood and urine. The relationships between exposure level and cobalt concentrations in blood and urine were linear and positive. The results clearly showed that the cobalt concentration in the blood or urine can be used as an exposure indicator. With cobalt exposure of 100 μg/m3, the cobalt concentration was 0.57 to 0.79 μg/dl in blood and 59 to 78 μg/l in urine with 95% confidence limits. In workers using respirators, the cobalt concentrations in the blood and urine decreased to 2/5 and 1/8, respectively, of those not using respirators.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexandersson R, Lidums V (1979) Studies on effects of exposure to cobalt. IV. Concentration of cobalt in blood and urine as indicators of exposure. Arbete och Hälsa 8:1–23
Alexandersson R (1979) Studies on effects of exposure to cobalt. VI. Exposure, uptake, and pulmonary effects of cobalt in the hard metal industry. Arbete och Hälsa 10:1–24
Barbočík M (1967) Haematological changes in workers employed in production of hard metals. Pracov Lek 19:11–15
Barbořík M, Dusek J (1972) Cardiomyopathy accompanying industrial cobalt exposure. Br Heart J 34:113–116
Barbořík M (1972) Excretion of cobalt and tungsten in workers in the production of hard metals. I. The daily excretion of cobalt in urine. The influence of CaNa2EDTA and penicilamine on its excretion. Pracov Lék 24:249–252
Bech AO, Kipling MD, Heather JC (1962) Hard metal disease. Br J Ind Med 19:239–252
Coates EO, Watson JHL (1971) Diffuse interstitial lung disease in tungsten carbide workers. Ann Intern Med 75:709–716
Coates EO, Sawyer HJ, Rebuck JW, Kvale PA, Sweet LW (1973) Hypersensitivity bronchitis in tungsten carbide workers. Chest 64:390
Coleman RF, Herrington J, Scales JT (1973) Concentration of wear products in hair, blood and urine after total hip replacement. Br Med J 1:527–529
Cornelis R, Speecke A, Hoste J (1975) Neutron activation analysis for bulk and trace elements in urine. Anal Chem Acta 78:317–327
Davison AG, Haslam PL, Corrin B, Coutts IJ, Dewar A, Riding WD, Studdy PR, Newman-Taylor AJ (1983) Interstitial lung disease and asthma in hard-metal workers: bronchoalveolar lavage, ultrastructural, and analytical findings and results of bronchial provocation tests. Thorax 38:119–128
Harding HE (1950) Notes on the toxicology of cobalt metal. Br J Ind Med 7:76–78
Hartung M, Schaller KH, Schildmayer H, Weltle D, Valentin H (1981) Untersuchungen zur Cobaltbelastung von Hartmetallschleifern. Bericht über die 21. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Arbeitsmedizin, S 175–178
Hartung M, Schaller KH, Kentner M, Weltle D, Valentin H (1983) Untersuchungen zur Cobalt-Belastung in verschiedenen Gewerbezweigen. Arbeitsmed Sozialmed Präventivmed 18:73–75
Jobs H, Ballhausen C (1940) Metallkeramik als Staubquelle vom ärztlichen und technischen Standpunkt. Vertrauensarzt und Krankenkasse 8:142–148
Jørstad K, Salbu B, Pappas AC (1981) Multielement analysis of human blood serum by neutron activation and controlled potential electrolysis. Anal Chem 53:1398–1401
Kennedy A, Dornan JD, King R (1981) Fetal myocardial disease associated with industrial exposure to cobalt. Lancet 21:412–414
Kerfoot EJ, Fredrik WG, Domeier E (1975) Cobalt metal inhalation studies on miniature swine. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 36:17–25
Kusaka Y, Ichikawa Y, Sugimoto K, Goto S (1983) Bronchopulmonary diseases due to hard metal dust. Viewpoints of dust exposure measurements. Jpn J Ind Health 25:155–160
Kusaka Y (1983) Hard metal asthma: a case of allergic bronchial asthma and contact dermatitis due to metallic cobalt. Jpn J Thoracic Dis 21:582–586
Marcussen PV (1963) Cobalt dermatitis. Clinical picture. Acta Dermato-Venereol 43:231–234
Miller CW, Davis MW, Goldman A, Wyatt JP (1953) Pneumoconiosis in the tungsten-carbide tool industry. Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med 8:453–465
Moline J, Boissinot E, Rougereau A, Guiller A (1980) Prevention de la pneumoconiose dans l'industrie des métaux durs. Nouv Presse Med 9:27–35
Newton D, Rundo J (1971) The long-term retention of inhaled cobalt-60. Health Phys 21:377–384
Perdrix A, Pellet F, Vincent M, De Gaudemaris R, Brambilla C, Mallion JM (1983) Cobalturie comme traceur de l'expposition aux carbures metalliques frittes. VIth. International Pneumoconiosis Conference, Bochum
Schepers GWH (1955) The biological action of tantalum oxide, cobaltic oxide, particulate cobalt metal, particulate tungsten metal, tungsten carbide and carbon, tungsten carbide and cobalt. AMA Arch Ind Health 12:121–146
Schroeder HA, Nason AP, Tipton IH (1967) Essential trace metals in man: Cobalt. J Chron Dis 20:869–890
Shwartz L, Peck SM, Blair KE, Markuson KE (1945) Allergic dermatitis due to metallic cobalt. J Allergy 16:51–53
Sjögren I, Hillerdal G, Andersson A, Zetterstrom O (1980) Hard metal lung disease: importance of cobalt in coolants. Thorax 35:653–659
Smith T, Edmonds CJ, Barnaby CF (1972) Absorption and retention of cobalt in man by whole-body counting. Health Phys 22:359–367
Wehner AP, Busch RH, Olsen RJ, Craig DK (1977) Chronic inhalation of cobalt oxide and cigarette smoke by hamsters. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 38:338–346
Wester PO (1973) Trace elements in serum and urine from hypertensive patients before and during treatment with chlorthalidone. Acta Med Scand 194:505–512
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ichikawa, Y., Kusaka, Y. & Goto, S. Biological monitoring of cobalt exposure, based on cobalt concentrations in blood and urine. Int. Arch Occup Environ Heath 55, 269–276 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377685
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377685