99
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Eco/Toxicology

Calcium alginate accelerates elimination of environmental lead in preschool children

, &
Pages 1265-1275 | Received 14 May 2015, Accepted 03 Sep 2015, Published online: 12 Oct 2015
 

Abstract

Environmental lead poses a serious threat for public health, particularly, for children. The use of substances with metal-binding properties, such as natural alginates, may be a potentially effective method for elimination of toxic metal ions from human body. In present study, effect of calcium alginate isolated from brown algae on distribution of the lead ions in preschool children was investigated. In the beginning of the study, lead concentration in urine, feces, and hair was determined. Then these children were administered a dietary supplement containing calcium alginate for four weeks. The results showed that all children participated in the study had a high baseline median lead level in urine (1.1 µg/L), feces (4.6 µg/g), and hair (5.0 µg/g). Administration of calcium alginate resulted in twofold increase of the urine lead level within two weeks from the start of the treatment. At the end of alginate administration, significant decrease of lead concentration in hair was registered. These results suggest that calcium alginate can potentially prevent accumulation of the lead ions in the body and may be used as an active agent for elimination of this toxic metal from human body.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The part of the study concerning synthesis and analysis of calcium alginate was supported by Russian Scientific Fund [grant number 14-50-00034].

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 61.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 2,970.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.