Summary
Cross-sectional human biomonitoring study (BIOMOVAL project) measuring whole-blood concentrations of 19 metals in 541 working adults in the Valencian Community, Spain, 2021. Antimony was detected in 99% of samples. The study reports descriptive statistics, risk assessment against biomonitoring equivalents, and regression models for exposure predictors. For Sb, windows-open time and agricultural activity were the statistically significant exposure correlates.
Key numbers
Whole blood Sb (microg/L), N = 541 working adults, Valencia Region, Spain, 2021 (Table 3):
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Detection frequency | 99% |
| LoQ | 1.08 microg/L |
| Minimum | less than LoQ |
| P25 | 1.76 microg/L |
| Median | 2.36 microg/L |
| Arithmetic mean | 2.34 microg/L |
| Geometric mean | 2.18 microg/L |
| P75 | 2.75 microg/L |
| P95 | 3.36 microg/L |
| Maximum | 19.7 microg/L |
| SD | 1.09 microg/L |
Analytical method: ICP-MS, samples diluted 1:20 (v/v), 0.5 mL blood to 10 mL final volume with HNO3.
No health-based guidance value (HBM-I or HBM-II) is available for blood Sb; a hazard quotient was not calculated for Sb.
Statistically significant predictors of blood Sb in regression: time spent with windows open (positive, p < 0.05) and agricultural activity (positive, p < 0.05).
Evidence Fitness
Reconstructable dataset for European adult working-population blood Sb reference ranges. Detection frequency near complete at this LoQ. The study does not attribute sources to specific foods or products.
Methods (brief)
Whole blood collected from 541 working adults, Valencian Community, Spain, 2021. Questionnaire on diet, lifestyle, occupation. ICP-MS for all analytes except mercury (Hg) (CV-AFS). Statistical analysis: descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, forward stepwise linear regression on log10-transformed concentrations. Approval: CEIm of Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset.
Implications
- Certification: European adult background blood Sb median of 2.36 microg/L provides a reference range for interpreting biomonitoring studies and establishing clinical significance of elevated values.
- Courses: illustrates that near-complete blood Sb detection is achievable at LoQ of 1.08 microg/L in an occupational/general population.
- App: not directly applicable to food contamination profiles.
- Microbiome: not addressed.
Provenance notes
Open access, CC BY. File from PMC OA S3 (PMC13709369). Part of BIOMOVAL project.
Update history
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