This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jenkins, R O Articles by Irgolic, K J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jenkins, R O Articles by Irgolic, K J Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Antimony leaching from cot mattresses and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Faculty of Applied Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK

P J Craig

Faculty of Applied Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK

W Goessler

Institute for Analytical chemistry, Karl Franzens Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010 Graz, Austria

K J Irgolic

Institute for Analytical chemistry, Karl Franzens Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 1, 8010 Graz, Austria

1 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cot mattress covers from SIDS cases were investigated as potential sources of soluble (potentially ingestable) antimony in the cot environment.

2 Body fluids (urine, saliva) and proprietary domestic detergents/sterilizing fluids markedly enhanced leaching of antimony from PVC. Release of antimony was also enhanced at both low and high pH and by elevated temperature. The extent of antimony leaching did not correlate well with PVC content of this element.

3 These data do not support the assumption that postmortem analysis of antimony content proves exposure to gaseous antimony trihydride from mattress PVC.

4 Ingestion of antimony released from PVC could account for the high variability associated with reported detectable levels of antimony in liver from both SIDS and other infants. It could also explain suspected additional postnatal exposure to this element, which gives rise to elevated levels of Sb in the hair of some healthy infants.

Key Words: antimony • SIDS • infant death • cot mattress • PVC

Human & Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 17, No. 3, 138-139 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/096032719801700302


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Bentley and T. G. Chasteen Microbial Methylation of Metalloids: Arsenic, Antimony, and Bismuth Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev., June 1, 2002; 66(2): 250 - 271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R O Jenkins, T-A Morris, P J Craig, W Goessler, N Ostah, and K M Wills Evaluation of cot mattress inner foam as a potential site for microbial generation of toxic gases Human and Experimental Toxicology, December 1, 2000; 19(12): 693 - 702. [Abstract] [PDF]