Total Arsenic in Urine and Saliva after Consumption of Seafood:a Study Report in Volunteers

Objective To compare the total arsenic concentration between urine and saliva after consumption of seafood in human.Methods Four volunteers were recruited and without any seafood for one week before they consumed 20 g seaweed at breakfast,and then urine and saliva samples were collected on the following three days.All the samples were detected for total arsenic concentration by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS).Results After intake of seaweed,the total arsenic concentration increased gradually,and reached the peak value at the 18th hour,the peak of urinary arsenic in female appeared earlier than that in male.The change of total arsenic concentration in the saliva samples was similar with that in urine,however the peak time of total arsenic concentration was earlier than that of urine samples,reached the peak value at 6th hour.Conclusion After consumption of seafood,the excretion of arsenic in saliva is earlier compared with urine,and the metabolism mode of arsenic in saliva may be similar with that in urine,so salivary arsenic should be taken as a biomarker for assessing arsenic exposure in human.