Chromium excretion

In an industrial plant in which the airborne chromic acid concentrations measured from 0.18 to 1.4mg/m/ moderate irritation of the nasal septum and turbinates was observed after 2 weeks of exposure, ulceration of the septum was present after 4 weeks, and there was perforation of the septum after 8 weeks. A worker exposed to an unmeasured concentration of chromic acid mist for 5 years developed jaundice and was found to be excreting significant amounts of chromium liver function was mildly to moderately impaired in four other workers with high urinary chromium excretion. ... 

Chromium may be transferred to infants via breast milk as indicated by breast milk levels of chromium in women exposed occupationally (Shmitova 1980) or via normal levels in the diet (Casey and Hambidge 1984). It has been demonstrated that in healthy women, the levels of chromium measured in breast milk are independent of serum chromium levels, urinary chromium excretion, or dietary intake of chromium (Anderson et al. 1993, Mohamedshah et al. 1998), but others (Engelhardt et al. 1990) have disputed this observation. 

Information regarding the excretion of chromium in humans after dermal exposure to chromium or its compounds is limited. Fourteen days after application of a salve containing potassium chromate(VI), which resulted in skin necrosis and sloughing at the application site, chromium was found at 8 mg/L in the urine and 0.61 mg/100 g in the feces of one individual (Brieger 1920). A slight increase (over background levels) in urinary chromium levels was observed in four subjects submersed in a tub of chlorinated water containing 22 mg chromium(VI)/L as potassium dichromate(VI) for 3 hours (Corbett et al. 1997). For three of the four subjects, the increase in urinary chromium excretion was less than 1 pg/day over the 5-day collection period. 

A number of factors have been shown to alter the rate of excretion of chromium in humans. Intravenous injection of calcium EDTA resulted in a rapid increase in the urinary excretion of chromium in metal workers (Sata et al. 1998). Both acute and chronic exercises have been shown to increase chromium excretion in the urine, though the increased excretion did not appear to be accompanied with decreased levels of total native chromium (Rubin et al. 1998). An increased rate of chromium excretion has been reported in women in the first 26 weeks of pregnancy (Morris et al. 1995b). Chromium supplementation did not appear to alter the rate of excretion into breast milk in postpartum women (Mohamedshah et al. 

Anderson RA, Bryden NA, Patterson KY, et al. 1993. Breast milk chromium and its association with chromium intake, chromium excretion, and serum chromium. Clin Nutr 57 519-523. 

Langard S, Gundersen N, Tsalev DL, et al. 1978. Whole blood chromium level and chromium excretion in the rat after zinc chromate inhalation. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol 42 142-149. 

Morris B, MacNeil S, Fraser R, et al. 1995b. Increased urine chromium excretion in normal pregnancy. Clin Chem 41(10) 1544-1545. 

Rubin MA, Miller JP, Ryan AS, et al. 1998. Acute and chronic resistive exercise increase urinary chromium excretion in men as measured with an enriched chromium stable isotope. J Nutr 128 73-78. 

Saner G, Yuzbasiyan V, Cigdem S. 1984. Hair chromium concentration and chromium excretion in tannery workers. Br J Ind Med 41 263-266. 

Intestinal absorption of is low, ranging from 0.4% to 2.5%, so fecal output is mainly unabsorbed dietary chromium. Absorption is increased marginally by ascorbic acid, amino adds, oxalate, and other dietary factors. After absorption, chromium binds to plasma transferrin with an affinity similar to that of iron. It then concentrates in human liver, spleen, other soft tissue, and bone. Urine chromium output is around 0.2 to 0.3 U,g/day, the amount excreted being to some extent dependent upon intake. Paradoxically, urine output appears to be relatively increased at low dietary levels. Thus 2% is lost in urine at an intake of lOpg/day, but only 0.5% at an intake of 40pg/day. Both running and resistive exercise increases urine chromium excretion. 

Anderson RA, Polansky MM, Bryden NA, Roginski EE, Patterson KY, Reamer DC. Effect of exercise (running) on serum glucose, insulin, glucagon, and chromium excretion. Diabetes 1982 31 212-6. 

The main route of excretion of absorbed chromium is via the kidneys in urine. However, the variability in urinary chromium excretion is such that it is impossible to distinguish occupational and environmental exposures to chromium from that due to dietary supplementation (Gauglhofer and Bianchi 1991). 

Exercise - even of short duration - causes changes in blood serum constituents, possibly due to leakage of intracellular components, e.g. enzymes from muscles. Continuous training may cause hemodilution this may in turn lead to apparently too low values of blood components. Changes caused by physical strain may even be seen in urinary excretion of trace elements, as exemplified by a 5-fold Increase of the urinary chromium excretion after running for 2 h (Anderson et al., 1982a). 

Each time that the GTF is called upon to do its work, there is a corresponding rise in the amount of chromium excreted in the urine. Apparently, the GTF is utilized less efficiently by diabetics who need injections of insulin than it is by normal, healthy people. Hence, diabetics might have above average needs for this factor. 

There appears to be a chromium pool in individuals who are not chromium deficient (136). When there is an increase in level of cHculating insulin in response to a glucose load, an increase in circulating chromium occurs over a period of 0.5—2 h. This is foUowed by a decline and excretion of chromium in urine increases. Chromium deficiency is indicated when no increase or a small increase in blood chromium level or urine chromium occurs. 

Chromium compounds interact synergistically or antagonistically with many chemicals. For example, potassium dichromate administered by subcutaneous injection potentiated the effects of mercuric chloride, citrinin, and hexachloro-1,3-butadiene on rat kidneys (USPHS 1993). Chromium effects were lessened by ascorbic acid and Vitamin E, and N-acetyl cysteine was effective in increasing urinary excretion of chromium in rats (USPHS 1993)... 

Excretion patterns for Cr+3 in rats were unpredictable and difficult to calculate (Yamaguchi et al. 1983). The excretion patterns for fecal chromium among 40 grazing Angus cows given 20 g dietary Cr203 (13.6 g Cr+3) daily for 72 days was diurnal excretion was lowest at 8 p.m. and highest at 9 a.m. (Hopper et al. 1978). 

Hopper, J.T., J.W. Holloway, and W.T. Butts, Jr. 1978. Animal variation in chromium sesquioxide excretion patterns of grazing cows. Jour. Anim. Sci. 46 1096-1102. 

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