Trace elements

Question 1

What elements are trace elements?

Answer 1

Arsenic, 
Cadmium,
 Lead, 
Mercury, 
Chromium, 
Copper,
 Iron,
 Manganese,
 Molybdenum,
 Selenium,
 Zinc

Question 2

What are two common methods of trace element analysis?

Answer 2

Atomic absorption

Atomic emission

Question 3

How does atomic absorption measure trace elements?

Answer 3

Quantitates elements through absorption of optical radiation by free atoms in a gas phase
-Spectra of atoms is specific to absorbing elements

Question 4

How does atomic emission measure trace elements?

Answer 4

Liquid sample w/ element is converted into an aerosol and delivered to a source where it receives energy and emits radiation
-Radiation is measured and is correlated to concentration of analyte ( basis of quantitation )

Question 5

Which trace elements are non-essential?

Answer 5

Arsenic
Mercury
Lead
Cadmium

Question 6

Which trace elements are essential?

Answer 6

Iron
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Chromium
Selenium

Question 7

Where does arsenic commonly occur?

Answer 7

natural substance in soil w. many industrial uses

• Burning of fossil fuels such as coal, used in metal production, timber and agricultural use
• Ag use release most arsenic

Question 8

What are the three forms of arsenic?

Answer 8

• Inorganic ( high toxicity ) – found in rock, soil, groundwater
• Methylated ( mild toxicity ) – Metabolite of inorganic arsenic – in foods
• Organic ( non-toxic ) – Fish, seaweed, shellfish

Question 9

What are the symptoms of arsenic poisoning?

Answer 9

GI symptoms – nausea, pain, emesis
Bone marrow – pancytopenia, basophillic stippling
Cardiovascular, CNS, Renan and Hepatic problems

Question 10

What are normal, chronic, and acute values of arsenic in the body?

Answer 10

<23 ug/L
Chronic – 100-500 ug/L
Critical acute – 600-9300 ug/L

Question 11

What population has higher levels of cadmium?

Answer 11

Smokers have 2X the Cd as non-smokers

Absorption higher in females – related to Fe stores

Question 12

Who stole mitch’s generator?

Answer 12

fat old white guy drinking buddy

Question 13

How does cadmium poisoning manifest?

Answer 13

• Acute exposure affects lungs and lead to respiratory -distress
• Renal dysfunction
• Also affects liver, bone, Immune and nervous systems

Question 14

how is cadmium primarily absorbed?

Answer 14

food

Question 15

How is cadmium measured?

Answer 15

Measured in random/24 hr urine, blood

Question 16

What are normal levels of cadmium in urine and blood?

Answer 16

Random urine - <2.6 ug/L
24 hr - <3.3 ug/24 hr
Blood - <5.0 ug/L

Question 17

What does mercury react with in the body and bind?

Answer 17

reacts with sulfylhydryl groups and binds cysteine in proteins

Question 18

Which forms of mercury are toxic and non toxic?

Answer 18

• Liquid environmental mercury – non-toxic, but is toxic in vapor form
• Inorganic mercury is non-toxic
• Organic mercury is toxic – highly selective for lipid –rich neurons

Question 19

What are the signs and symptoms of mercury poisoning?

Answer 19

Inhaled vapor – Affects nervous, digestive and immune systems
Inorganic exposure – Skin, eyes, Gi symptoms, kidneys

Question 20

What are normal values of mercury in urine and blood?

Answer 20

-Urine, random - <35 ug/g crea
-Urine, 24 hrs – 0-15 ug/day
-Blood – 0-60 ug/L
-High seafood - >50 ug
Toxic - >150 ug in urine

Question 21

What is the most common heavy metal in the environment?

Answer 21

lead

Question 22

What samples are commonly taken for lead poisoning testing?

Answer 22

Venous whole blood most commonly used – hair and nails also used

Question 23

What are the signs and symptoms of lead poisoning?

Answer 23

• CNS symptoms – clumsy/abnormal gait, HA, Seizures
• Neuropathy
• Anemia – 94% is transferred to RBC in blood and is bound to hgb

Question 24

Where is lead primarily exposed to the body?

Answer 24

Exposure primarily via GI and respiratory tracts

Question 25

what are normal values, high values, and critical values for lead?

Answer 25

Overt toxicity - >60ug/L
WB - <10 ug/L – children 
WB - <30 ug/L – non-pregnant adults
Urine - <80 ug/L / 24 hrs
Critical - >125ug/L / 24 hrs

Question 26

Where is copper commonly distributed in the body?

Answer 26

distributed widely in body ( Liver, kidney, heart, brain )

Question 27

Where is 95% of copper contained in the body?

Answer 27

Alpha-2 globulin – contains 95 % of copper in body

Question 28

What is coppers role in the body?

Answer 28

Vitally important in regulating ionic state of Fe ( oxidize Fe2 to Fe3 ) – allows Fe to enter transferrin w/o forming toxic Fe products

Question 29

How will plasma look if copper is significantly increased in the body?

Answer 29

greenish

Question 30

What are signs and symptoms of copper deficiency?

Answer 30

Seen in premature infants, malabsorption/malnutrition, chronic diarrhea
Neutropenia, hypochromic anemia ( see early )
Osteoporosis, decreased skin pigments and pallor
Neurologic abnormalities in later stages
Extreme cases – Menkes Disease – Fatally progressive brain disease
Appears at 3 months – death at 5 years
Peculiar hair – kinky-Steely ; growth retardation

Question 31

What disease is copper toxicity associated with?

Answer 31

Wilson’s disease
Genetic condition results in accumulation of copper. Copper gets deposited in tissues
See at 6-40 years
Results in neurological and liver dysfunction
S/S – Kayser-Fleischer rings – Green-brown discoloration of cornea
Early detection = effective treatment or cure

Question 32

What are serum, urine, and rbc values for copper?

Answer 32

Serum – 700-1500 ug/L
Urine – 15-60 ug/24 hr
RBC – 90-150 ug/L