Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
several different types of metals, of which antimony
was one, on an average had 12 times higher lung con-
centrations of antimony (315
absorption and urinary excretion for antimony triox-
ide and stibine were very similar (Kentner
et al
., 1995).
Single intravenous or intramuscular injections to vol-
unteers produced higher 24-hour urinary excretion of
pentavalent (80%) than of trivalent (25%) antimony
compounds, a pattern similar to the one found in ani-
mals (Abdallah and Saif, 1962; Boyd and Roy, 1929;
Goodwin and Page, 1943).
Bartter
et al
. (1947) studied the elimination of a
single intravenously administered dose of labeled
antimony potassium tartrate (trivalent). The urinary
excretion was about four times higher than the fecal.
In one patient, 73% of a total single dose was elimi-
nated within 4 weeks. Rees
et al
. (1980) studied the
renal clearance of pentavalent antimony. When pen-
tavalent antimony in the form of sodium stiboglu-
conate was given intramuscularly to patients, about
95% was recovered in urine within 6 hours after the
administration.
In workers exposed to air containing around 3 mg
Sb/m
3
, a colorimetric method showed urinary values
ranging from 0.8-9.6 mg/L (Brieger
et al
., 1954), which
are highly elevated compared with normal values
(see Section 6). Likewise, Smith and Griffi ths (1982)
found considerably higher urinary concentrations of
antimony (10-220
g/kg) than persons not
previously occupationally exposed (26
µ
µ
g/kg).
5.3 Excretion
5.3.1 Animals
Rate and route of excretion are dependent on the
valency of the compound. Certain species differences
are also seen. In general, pentavalent organic antimony
is mainly excreted in urine, trivalent mainly in feces
(Edel
et al
., 1983; Otto and Maren, 1950).
Cows given antimony orally as
124
SbCl
3
at an average
dose of 21.1 mg Sb/kg body weight excreted 82% of the
antimony in feces. Milk and urine accounted for 0.008
and 1.1%, respectively. Highest tissue concentrations
were found in the spleen, liver, bone, and skin. A single
cow administered
124
SbCl
3
intravenously at a dose of
1.5 mg Sb/kg body weight showed fecal excretion of
only 2.4%, whereas milk and urine accounted for 0.08
and 51%, respectively (Von Bruwaene
et al
., 1982).
Six hours after intravenous and intraperitoneal
injections of pentavalent antimony compounds to
mice, about 50-60% was found in urine (Goodwin and
Page, 1943). The initial excretion rate was less rapid for
the trivalent form, but after 48 hours, the differences
between the forms declined; total urinary excretion in
48 hours was around 70%.
Twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal admin-
istration of trivalent and pentavalent antimony to
hamsters, about 15% of the trivalent and 65% of the
pentavalent antimony were found in urine. The fecal
excretion over the same period of time was about 50%
for trivalent antimony and less than 10% for pentava-
lent antimony (Gellhorn
et al
., 1946). Likewise, Edel
et al
. (1983) found that 6% and 88% of a given dose of
trivalent and pentavalent antimony in rats was elimi-
nated in urine within 24 hours of the administration.
The fecal elimination of trivalent and pentavalent
antimony during the same period was 33% and 1%,
respectively.
g/L) in urine samples from work-
ers exposed to antimony compared with urine from
nonexposed subjects (1-5
µ
µ
g/L).
5.4 Biological Half-Life
5.4.1 Animals
5.4.1.1 Inhalation
A study of beagles exposed to labeled antimony
aerosols indicated an initial fast clearance of up to
80% of the initially deposited material within a few
days (whole-body measurements). This fast excre-
tion phase was followed by a slow clearance, with a
biological half-life in whole-body on the order of 36-
100 days (Felicetti
et al
., 1974b). The retention in the
lung of initial lung burden, after 4 months, ranged
from 0.0-6%, depending on the type of particles.
Excretion of antimony took place through urine and
feces, with a ratio of 0.8. The particles had been neb-
ulized from an antimony potassium tartrate solution
passing through a heating column at 100, 500, and
1000°C
,
which yielded particles with aerodynamic
diameters of 0.3, 1.0, and 1.3
5.3.2 Humans
Healthy subjects in the general population in central
Italy were found to have a urinary antimony level of
60.8 ng/L (Alimonti
et al
., 2005).
Median exposure to antimony in air of workers in a
lead battery production facility ranged from 4.5
m
,
respectively. Sim-
ilar results have also been reported by Djuric
et al
.
(1962), who exposed rats, and by Thomas
et al
. (1973),
who exposed mice under conditions similar to those
used by Felicetti
et al
. (1974a). After a rapid elimina-
tion of about 80% of the initially deposited amount
µ
µ
g Sb/
m
3
for casting workers to 12.4
g Sb/m
3
for formation
workers. Average urine values were 3.9
µ
µ
g Sb/g cre-
atinine for the casters and 15.2
g Sb/g creatinine for
the formation workers. Characteristics of pulmonary
µ
