Cadmium and chromium in human lung tissue in relation to smoking and lung cancer

Abstract

The pulmonary Cd and Cr content was determined from 53 lung cancer patients operated for cancer and from 39 patients who died of non‐malignant diseases. The results were correlated with smoking habits, pulmonary emphysema and occupational history. Both the pulmonary Cd and Cr increased with the amount of smoking. In ex‐smokers the Cr content in lung tissue did not diminish with the time since stopping smoking, but the Cd did follow the half‐life of about 9 years. The pulmonary Cd, compared with smoking habits, behaved similarly in both the lung cancer and control patients, whereas Cr in the lung cancer patients could not be explained solely by smoking, but some of the cancer patients may have been occupationally exposed to Cr. Speciation was not studied.

Key Words:

• Cadmium
• chromium
• smoking
• occupational hygiene
• lung cancer
• pulmonary emphysema
• lobe samples
• sample preparation
• direct current plasma atomic emission spectrometry (DCP‐AES)

Notes

Presented 13 April 1988 at the Third IAEAC Workshop on Toxic Metal Compounds, Follonica, Italy.