Bioelements and mineral matter in human livers from the highly industrialized region of the Upper Silesia Coal Basin (Poland)

Contents of mineral substance, silica, and a range of bioelements and toxic elements (Mg, Na, K, Ca, Ba, Zn, Cr, P Al, Cd, Mn Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, Fe) in 38 livers of donors from the Upper Silesia Coal Basin (southern Poland) are presented. Elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) with the exception of silica that was estimated colorimetrically. Concentrations, concentration variability, and correlations between selected liver components determined for the total population are related to donor age, gender, and lesion occurrence. Correlations between particular elements were found using correlation coefficient values and the Fisher transformation. Mineral substance in the livers lies in the range 0.40–5.03 wt%. With increasing donor age, mineral-matter content decreases to a minimum for the 40–60 years of age range. Microbioelement contents show a similar tendency, while microbioelements and toxic elements reach maximum contents in donors aged 60–80 years. All elements show content decreases in livers from the oldest group (>80 years). Silica contents increase with age. Variability of element contents is lowest in the older subpopulations. Livers with lesions show lower element contents and variability. The results are compared to literature data for regions of Poland assumed to be of low pollution and to data from comparable regions in Japan and Hungary. Up to our knowledge, this paper is the first work describing the total contents, as distinct from contents of selected elements, of mineral substance in human livers.