Speciation of arsenic compounds in urine from occupationally unexposed and exposed persons in the U.K. using a routine LC-ICP-MS method.

This paper describes a routine, robust, and reproducible liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS) speciation method for five arsenic compounds [arsenobetaine (AB), arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)] in urine. Concentrations of these arsenic species in urine samples are reported in two sets of non-occupationally exposed controls with one set having consumed fish within 24 h (n = 31) and the other not having consumed fish for 48 h (n = 34). Arsenic species in urine samples from workers in both the timber treatment industry (n = 49) and semiconductor industry (n = 46) are also reported. The arsenic content in all of the samples was also determined using hydride-generation coupled with ICP-MS. The results show that urine samples from people not occupationally exposed to arsenic contain low levels of DMA, MMA, and AB and that only urine from smokers contained any inorganic arsenic. Consumption of seafood was seen to significantly increase the levels of AB and DMA in the unexposed persons. Urine samples from the semiconductor workers exhibited significantly higher levels of arsenite, arsenate, and DMA than the unexposed samples. The urine samples from timber treatment workers exhibited significantly higher levels of four arsenic species (not AB) than those observed in both the control groups and the semi-conductor workers.