Determination of Arsenic and Mercury Concentrations in Urine of Patients with Blackfoot Disease

Blackfoot disease (BFD) is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. In the present work, the objective was to examine the amount of arsenic and mercury in urine of BFD patients. The urine specimens were acidified with nitric acid and digested in a microwave oven. A solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge was used for sample purification and preconcentration. The analytical technique for the determination of arsenic was by hydride atomic absorption spectrophotometry (HAAS) and for mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS). The sensitivity and accuracy of the analytical techniques were checked with Lanornorm control urine. Arsenic and mercury concentrations in the urine of normal controls and BFD patients were found to be 11.3±4.7 μg/1 and 33.6±23.1 μg/1 for As ; 5.0±1.8 μg/1 and 11.6±5.9 μg/1 for Hg, respectively. The life background of the BFD patients is also briefly mentioned.