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Kim, Kim, Kim, Seo, Yu, Kim, and Hong: Blood and Urinary Cadmium Concentration of Residents around Abandoned Metal Mines in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do
Original Article

Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2010; 22(1): 1-10.

Published online: 31 March 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2010.22.1.1

Blood and Urinary Cadmium Concentration of Residents around Abandoned Metal Mines in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do

Hyo Jun Kim, Byoung Gwon Kim, Dae Seon Kim1, Jeong Wook Seo, Byeng Chul Yu2, Young Wook Kim3, Young Seoub Hong

Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Korea.

1Division of Environmental Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Research(NIER), Korea.

2Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Kosin University, Korea.

3Department of Occupational Medicine, Masan Samsung Hospital, Korea.

Corresponding author (yshong@dau.ac.kr)

Received 7 December 2009       Revised 12 February 2010       Accepted 12 February 2010

Copyright © 2010 The Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the blood and urinary cadmium concentration levels of around abandoned metal mines in comparison with a control group.

Methods

Blood and urinary cadmium concentration levels were analyzed through investigations of the dietary habits and dietary water of subjects living near abandoned metal mines (exposure group) (n=190) in comparison with those living in designated control areas (control group) (n=256).

Results

The blood cadmium (1.93 µg/l) and urinary cadmium (2.41 µg/g cr) concentrations of the exposure group were significantly higher than those of the control group (blood cadmium: 1.19 µg/l, urinary cadmium: 1.94 µg/g cr). Both concentrations were significantly higher in vegetarians in both groups.

Conclusions

The exposure group had higher blood and urinary cadmium concentrations than the control group. We attributed the elevated blood and urine cadmium levels in the abandoned mine residents to the influence of the abandoned mine sites.

Keywords: Blood cadmium, Urinary cadmium, Abandoned metal mine

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