Renal dysfunction in workers exposed to arsenic and cadmium

Objective To examine the nephrotoxicity induced caused by combined effect of arsenic and cadmium in exposed workers. Methods Urinary cadmium and arsenic were used as the exposure biomarkers of cadmium and arsenic.Urinary β_2-microglobulin(Uβ_2-MG),albumin(UALB) and N-acety-β-D-glucosaminidase(UNAG) were measured as the effective biomarkers of tubular and glomerular dysfunction induced by cadmium and arsenic.Results The combination of cadmium and arsenic induced more severe renal injury than that caused by either of the chemicals given alone.There were positive correlations and significant dose-effect among the concentrations of urinary cadmium,arsenic and levels of Uβ_2-MG,UALB,UNAG( P 0.05, P 0.01). Conclusion Cadmium combined with arsenic may have additive effect on renal dysfunction in workers exposed to arsenic and cadmium.