In vivo measurement of arsenic, aluminum, indium and fluorine

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Mining and smelting are extremely important to the Canadian economy. Canada exported $48 billion worth of non-fuel minerals and mineral products in 2000 and is the world's largest producer of uranium, the third largest producer of copper, and produces zinc, lead, cadmium, platinum, indium, aluminum, gold... The economic dependence on this industry means that there are large numbers of Canadian workers exposed to potentially toxic elements and many Canadians exposed environmentally at lower levels. Workers who are known to be exposed are generally monitored by their employer via blood and urine measurements. Workers whose levels increase above certain pre-set limits will be removed from potentially high exposure situations until their levels fall. However, measurement of blood or urine alone does not allow exogenous and endogenous exposures to be separately accounted for, and this can make the interpretation of risk complicated. It also makes the management of workers with extensive employment histories difficult, as they often have body stores of the element which can keep blood and urines elevated even in the absence of external exposure.