Abstract
Polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis (E. P) of urinary proteins were tested among the 73 inhabitants, 40 males and 33 females from 17 to 86 years of age, of the Jinzu river basin. The E. P patterns of urinary proteins were estimated and compared with those analyzed twelve years ago.
1) The E. P patterns from the 40 inhabitants showed normal patterns in both years (cases remained normal pattern). The E. P patterns from the 30 inhabitants showed abnormal patterns similar to those in 1971, with the bands consisting of low molecular weight proteins (cases remained abnormal pattern). The E. P patterns from the three inhabitants changed for the worse compared with those in 1971 (cases changed for the worse). All of the cases changed for the worse were aged 50-69 years. There were no cases changed for the better.
2) The 51 inhabitants had been mainly eating rice, harvested in their own cadmium polluted paddy fields, since 1971. The 22 inhabitants had been mainly eating purchased rice since 1971. There was no difference in tendencies of the E. P. pattern changes between the two groups classified by the sort of rice eaten.
3) The urinary cadmium concentrations of the cases which remained normal pattern, the cases which remained abnormal pattern and the cases changed for the worse among the inhabitants aged over 50 years were significantly higher than those of the cases which remained normal pattern among inhabitants aged under 50 years.
In conclusion, there were no cases changed for the better on the E. P. patterns of urinary proteins and some cases changed for the worse compared with the patterns in 1971. These results would be caused primarily by the continuous pollution of the kidneys by cadmium from the stock within the body.
