Excretion of Ni, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in Sweat under Two Sweating Conditions

Wen-Hui Kuan, Yi-Lang Chen and Chao-Lin Liu
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Wen-Hui Kuan: Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei 24301, Taiwan
Yi-Lang Chen: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei 24301, Taiwan
Chao-Lin Liu: Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei 24301, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Physiologists have long regarded sweating as an effective and safe means of detoxification, and heavy metals are excreted through sweat to reduce the levels of such metals in the body. However, the body can sweat through many means. To elucidate the difference in the excretion of heavy metals among sweating methods, 12 healthy young university students were recruited as participants (6 men and 6 women). Sweat samples were collected from the participants while they were either running on a treadmill or sitting in a sauna cabinet. After they experienced continuous sweating for 20 min, a minimum of 7 mL of sweat was collected from each participant, and the concentrations of nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the sweating method affected the excretion of heavy metals in sweat, with the concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cu, and As being significantly higher during dynamic exercise than during sitting in the sauna (all p < 0.05). However, the concentrations of Hg were unaffected by the sweating method. This study suggests that the removal of heavy metals from the body through dynamic exercise may be more effective than removal through static exposure to a hot environment.

Keywords: sweating condition; heavy metal excretion; dynamic exercise; hot environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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