Reference Intervals for Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, and Cadmium in the Population of Southwest China: A Comparative Study of Direct and Indirect Sampling Techniques.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Environmental metal pollution poses a potential threat to public health, and reference intervals (RIs) are crucial tools for assessing exposure levels.

Aims

Our study was the first to systematically establish RIs for lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium in a population in southwest China, examining differences across genders and ages. The study also compared the differences between RIs obtained by two sampling techniques, including direct and indirect sampling, to assess the substitutability and limitations between the two techniques.

Materials and methods

Direct sampling employed atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on human biomonitoring (HBM) data, while indirect sampling utilized a Gaussian Mixtur

SUBMITTER: Nie M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12514973 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature