Trace-element concentrations in blood samples from welders of stainless steel or aluminium and a reference group.

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Abstract
The concentrations of 17 trace elements (e.g., Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, Si and Mg) were determined in whole blood samples of 81 persons working with different welding methods on stainless steel or Al and 68 nonwelders. Inorganic spark source mass spectrometry was used for the chemical analyses. The data were analyzed by the SIMCA method for pattern recognition (discriminant analysis). No differences were found between the 5 groups, either in the average levels of the trace elements or in the correlation structures between the trace elements. No blood concentration data on the analyzed elements and collected from a single person contained any information with respect to exposure to the welding fumes investigated.

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