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pubmed:abstractText |
Environmental monitoring during lost wax casting in jewelry handicrafts was performed for gold, silver, zinc and copper by means of personal samplers and ICP-AAS techniques were used for determining airborne metals. Personal sampling was prolonged for a working week by continuous monitoring during 8 hours shifts, replacing the membrane filter every 2 hours, in 6 workers; in the same workers urine samples were collected during the week and levels of Au, Ag, Zn and Cu were measured by ETA-AAS. During casting process Ag air concentrations ranged 0.27-0.6 mg/m3 while mean levels of Au, Cu, and Zn were 0.028 0.030 and 0.056 mg/m3 respectively. Urinary excretion of Ag (I) determined by solvent extraction and separation by liquid anion exchanger proved very high, after 24-36 h from the casting processes.
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