Abstract

The concentrations of serum osteocalcin (OCN) and calcitonin (CTN) were determined in sixty male workers exposed to fluoride (F) at an aluminum plant in Danjiang city, and in thirty non-F exposed males of the same general age from the local market town Gaolou village of Jun county in Danjiang city (control group). The F-exposed workers were divided into two groups according to the levels of their urine and serum F: a high-F burden group (urine F>4.0 mg/L; serum F>0.20 mg/L) and a low-F burden group (2.0 mg/L<urine F ?4.0 mg/L; 0.10 mg/L<serum F ?0.20 mg/L). Compared with the control group, the concentrations of serum OCN and CTN were significantly higher in both the high-F and low-F burden groups (p<0.05). This study found for the first time that the concentrations of serum OCN and CTN increased concurrently in a F-exposed worker population. On the basis of these findings, we propose that serum OCN and CTN might be sensitive biomarkers for detecting early stages of F bone injuries.

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