Effects of Atmospheric Metals on Human Lungs

Studies on Intrapulmonary Contents of Metallic Substances in Autopsy Cases

Abstract

The heavy-metal contamination in the air is generally of low concentrations in the ordinary living circumstances. However, its chronic effect on man can not be ignored since the intake of such metals is an inevitable and continuous process throughout our life span. Therefore, it seems to be significant to know how much metals are inhaled and deposited in the lung of ordinarily living people.
The lungs of 180 administrative and juridical autopsy cases which were carried out in Kanagawa Prefecture during the past one year were investigated to measure the metal contents. They were classified and analyzed acccording to diffents ages residential area, and occupations.
The results were as follows:
1. Cadmium: The lungs of teenagers and twenties contained a significantly higher amount of cadmium than that of those under 10 years of age, which gradually increased with age afterwards.
Lead: Teenagers had a significantly higher amount of lead content in their lungs than that of those under 10 years. However, no more significant increase was noted over 21 years of age.
Copper and nickel: No significant differences in ages were not observed.
2. Significant differences in amount between different areas, industrialized area, partly industrialized area and an ordinary residential area, were observed in content of cadmium in the lung but not in other metal contents.
3. Some significant differences attributable to the difference in occupations were seen only in the cadmium content in the lung.