Survey of urinary nickel in residents of areas with a high density of electroplating factories

The soil metal contamination arising from the discharge of the high density of electroplating factories in the geographic center of Taiwan has prompted concern about human exposure to harmful metals. This study aimed to determine the levels of nickel (Ni) in urine of residents living in the high vs. low factory-density areas, and to examine how these levels relate to gender and age. A total of 660 subjects, resident in the area for the last five years, were sampled according to the stratified random sampling approach, at ages 35–44, 45–54, and 55–64 years for both genders. Metals in urine samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The geometric mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) of urinary Ni was 6.30 (5.99–6.62) μg/l. The 0.95 parametric reference interval (90% CI) of urinary Ni was estimated to be 1.74 (1.62–1.88) to 22.73 (21.14–24.44) μg/l. Subjects in the areas with a high density of electroplating factories had significantly higher urinary Ni levels than those in the low-density areas, but both types of areas had obviously higher urinary Ni levels when compared to the non-occupationally exposed population from western countries. The health significance of elevated urinary Ni and its causative factors remain to be determined.