Abstract
Aluminum was determined in serum samples obtained from 533 Saudi female pupils aged 6–8 years who attended primary public school in Riyadh City, Capital of Saudi Arabia. The aluminum mean value was 23.21 ± 15.25 μg 1−1 in the range of 5.98–206.93 μg 1−1. Serum aluminum levels of pupils attending the Northern school area were higher than levels found in pupils from other school areas (Southern, Eastern and Central). Renal variables had no correlation with serum aluminum. On the other hand, a significant positive correlation was found between serum aluminium above 49.2 μg 1−1 and urea (r = 0.6, P < 0.002). Although 53% of the screened schools had aluminum in water above the European Union (EU) acceptable limit of 50 μg 1−1, there were no differences in aluminum in water between the four different school areas in Riyadh. Factors such as drinking water, diet and the use of aluminum utensils may have contributed to this result. As there is a bulk of literature which highlights the adverse developmental effects of aluminum on children and infants, it would be advantageous to establish regular aluminum monitoring.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alfery AC. 1983 Aluminum. Adv Clin Chem 23, 69–91.
Alfery AC. 1984 Aluminum intoxication, editorial. N Engl J Med 310, 1113–1115.
Alfery AC. 1986 Aluminum metabolism. Kidney Int 29 (Suppl 18), S8-S11.
Alfery AC. 1991 Aluminum intoxication recognition and treatment. In: Nicolini M, Zatta PF, Corain B, eds. Aluminum in Chemistry, Biology and Medicine. A Series of Advances, Vol. 1. Verona: Cortina; 73–84.
Al-Saleh I. 1996 Trace elements in drinking water coolers collected from primary schools. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sci Total Environ 181, 215–221.
Andreoli SP. Bergstein JM, Sherrard DJ. 1984 Aluminum intoxication from aluminum-containing phosphate binders in children with azotemia not undergoing dialysis. N Engl J Med 310, 1079–1084.
Boegman RJ, Bates LA. 1984 Neurotoxicity of aluminum. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 62, 1010–1014.
Chazan JA, Blonsky SL, Abuelo JG, Pezzullo JC. 1988 Increased body aluminum: an independent risk factor in patients undergoing long term hemodialysis? Arch Intern Med 48, 1817–1820.
Corain B, Tapparo A, Abdiqafar A, Sheikh-Osman, Bombi G. 1992a The solution state of aluminum (III) as relevant to experimental toxicology: recent data and new perspectives. Coord Chem Rev 112, 19–32.
Corain B, Nicolini M, Zatta P. 1992b Aspects of the bioinorganic chemistry of aluminum (III) relevant to the metal toxicity. Coord Chem Rev 112, 33–45.
Cotton AF, Wilkinson G. 1988 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. New York: Wiley.
Crapper McLachlan DR. 1988 Aluminum and Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 7, 525–532.
EEC. 1981 Official Journal of the European Communities Council directive of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption. 80/778/EEC. No. L229/11.
Flaten TP. 1987 Geographical associations between aluminum in drinking water and dementia, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Norway. Trace Elem Med 4, 179–180.
Giordano R, Costantini S. 1993 Some aspects related to the presence of aluminum in waters. Ann 1st Super Sanita 29, 305–311.
Greger JL. 1985 Aluminium content of the American diet. Food Technol 39, 73–80.
Griswold WR, Reznik V, Mendoza SA, Trauner D, Alfery AC. 1983 Accumulation of aluminum in a nondialized uremic child receiving aluminum hydroxide. Pediatrics 71, 56–58.
Hewitt CD, O'Hara M, Day JP, Bishop N. 1987 Exposure of infants to aluminum from milk formulae and intravenous fluids. In: Bratter P, Schramel P, eds. Trace Element-Analytical Chemistry in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 4. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter; 481.
Kaehny WD. Hegg AP. Alfery AC. 1977 Gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum from aluminum-containing antacids. N Engl J Med 296, 1389–1390.
Kaplan A, Szabo LL, Opheim KE. 1988 Clinical Chemistry: Interpretation and Techniques, 3rd edn. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger; 112–144.
Klaassen CD. Amdur MO. Doull J. 1986 Toxicology, 3rd edn. New York: MacMillan.
Lione A. 1983 The prophylactic reduction of aluminum intake. Food Chem Toxicol 21, 103–109.
Martin RB. 1991 Aluminum in biological systems. In: Nicolini M. Zatta PF, Corain B, eds. Aluminum in Chemistry, Biology and Medicine. A Series of Advances, Vol. 1. Verona: Cortina: 3.
Martyn CN, Barker DJP, Osmond C, Harris EC, Edwardson JA, Lacey RF. 1989 Geographical relationship between Alzheimer's disease and the Al in drinking water. Lancet i, 59–62.
McKenzie T. 1988 Analytical data for the GTA-96. In: Rothery E, ed. Analytical Methods for Graphite Tube Atomizer. Milgrave, Victoria, Australia: Varian Tectron; 113.
Ministry of Agricultural, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). 1993 Aluminum in Food. The thirty-nine report of the Steering Group on Chemical Aspects of Food Surveillance. Food Surveillance Paper 39. HMSO, London.
Nagey E, Jobst K. 1994 Aluminum dissolved from kitchen utensils. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 52, 396–399.
Nicolini M, Zatta PF, Corain B. 1991 Aluminum in Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine. Verona: Cortina.
Parsons V. Davies C, Goode C, Ogg C, Siddiqui J. 1971 Aluminum in bone from patients with chronic renal failure. Br Med J 4, 273–275.
Pennington JAT. 1987 Aluminum content of foods and diets. Food Addit Contam 5, 161–232.
Pennington JAT, Gunderson EL. 1987 A history of the food and drug administration's total diet study 1961 to 1967. J Ass Anal Chem 70, 772–782.
Salusky IB, Coburn JW, Paunier L, Sherrard DJ, Fine RN. 1984 Role of aluminum hydroxide in raising serum aluminum levels in children undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. J Pediatr 105, 717–720.
Scheffe H. 1959 The multivariate analysis. In: The Analysis of Variance. New York: Wiley: 163–190.
Sedman AB, Miller NL, Warady DA. Lum GM, Alfery AC. 1984a Aluminum loading in children with chronic renal failure. Kidney Int 26, 201–204.
Sedman AB, Wilkening GN, Warady DA, Lum GM, Alfery AC. 1984b Encephalopathy in childhood secondary to aluminum toxicity. J Pediatr 105, 836–838.
Sorensen JRJ, Campbell IR, Tepper LB, Lingg RD, 1974 Aluminum in the environment and human health. Environ Health Perspect 8, 3–95.
Statgraphics software. 1992 Statistical graphics system by statistical graphics corporation. A PLUS *WARE soft-ware product, STSC, Inc.
Taylor A, Briggs RJ. 1986 An external quality assessment scheme for trace elements in biological fluids. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 1, 391–395.
Trompeter RS, Polonsky MS, Andreoli SA, et al. 1986 Neurologic complications of renal failure. Am J Kidney Dis 7, 318–323.
Wills MR. Savory J. 1989 Aluminum and chronic renal failure: sources, absorption, transport and toxicity. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 27. 59–107.
World Health Organization (WHO). 1993 Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality, 2nd edn. Vol. 1. Recommendations. Geneva: WHO.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Al-Saleh, I., Shinwari, N. Aluminum in Saudi children. Biometals 9, 385–392 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140608
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140608