Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices
<p><strong>Background:</strong> northern Chile has the highest levels of lithium in surface waters in the world which is reflected in very high lithium levels in the plants and animals that depend on these water systems and consequently in the indigenous population.</p><p&...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Milano University Press
2013-09-01
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| Series: | Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health |
| Online Access: | http://ebph.it/article/view/8847 |
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| author | Leonardo T. Figueroa Sara Ann Barton William J. Schull Allan H. Young Yumi M. Kamiya John A. Hoskins Edward B. Ilgren |
| author_facet | Leonardo T. Figueroa Sara Ann Barton William J. Schull Allan H. Young Yumi M. Kamiya John A. Hoskins Edward B. Ilgren |
| author_sort | Leonardo T. Figueroa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p><strong>Background:</strong> northern Chile has the highest levels of lithium in surface waters in the world which is reflected in very high lithium levels in the plants and animals that depend on these water systems and consequently in the indigenous population.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> the lithium tissue burdens in populations from two valleys in the extreme north of Chile have been studied. The bulk of this report is based on analyses of lithium levels in urine, hair, and breast milk in the population of several villages. Data on serum levels, some of which had been previously published, are included for the sake of completeness. Since this paper reports studies by several groups of workers samples were analysed by a variety of methods. These include atomic emission, atomic absorption, other photospectroscopic techniques and mass spectroscopy.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> in all samples studied the average lithium level (5.3 ppm) was found to be significantly elevated compared to levels reported in the literature and measured in this study for people not exposed to high levels in water and food (0.009-0.228 ppm).</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> the people studied represent a unique longitudinal cohort. The work should provide important insights into the potential neuroprotective effects of lithium also help us set guidelines to assess the risks from high dose environmental exposure.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-17c0a45becba4cba9478ce1409562c4a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2282-0930 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-09-01 |
| publisher | Milano University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-17c0a45becba4cba9478ce1409562c4a2025-08-20T03:54:20ZengMilano University PressEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health2282-09302013-09-0111110.2427/88478624Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indicesLeonardo T. Figueroa0Sara Ann Barton1William J. Schull2Allan H. Young3Yumi M. Kamiya4John A. Hoskins5Edward B. Ilgren6Department of Chemistry, University of Tarapaca, Arica, ChileUniversity of Texas at Houston, Department of Human GeneticsDepartment of Human Genetic, University of Texas at Houston and Director, Schull Institute, HoustonCentre for Mental Health, Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, LondonFormerly Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, USAIndependent consultant - Consultant Toxicologist, Haslemere,Surrey, United KingdomIndependent consultant<p><strong>Background:</strong> northern Chile has the highest levels of lithium in surface waters in the world which is reflected in very high lithium levels in the plants and animals that depend on these water systems and consequently in the indigenous population.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> the lithium tissue burdens in populations from two valleys in the extreme north of Chile have been studied. The bulk of this report is based on analyses of lithium levels in urine, hair, and breast milk in the population of several villages. Data on serum levels, some of which had been previously published, are included for the sake of completeness. Since this paper reports studies by several groups of workers samples were analysed by a variety of methods. These include atomic emission, atomic absorption, other photospectroscopic techniques and mass spectroscopy.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> in all samples studied the average lithium level (5.3 ppm) was found to be significantly elevated compared to levels reported in the literature and measured in this study for people not exposed to high levels in water and food (0.009-0.228 ppm).</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> the people studied represent a unique longitudinal cohort. The work should provide important insights into the potential neuroprotective effects of lithium also help us set guidelines to assess the risks from high dose environmental exposure.</p>http://ebph.it/article/view/8847 |
| spellingShingle | Leonardo T. Figueroa Sara Ann Barton William J. Schull Allan H. Young Yumi M. Kamiya John A. Hoskins Edward B. Ilgren Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health |
| title | Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices |
| title_full | Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices |
| title_fullStr | Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices |
| title_short | Environmental lithium exposure in the north of Chile - Tissue exposure indices |
| title_sort | environmental lithium exposure in the north of chile tissue exposure indices |
| url | http://ebph.it/article/view/8847 |
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