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ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS were applied for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in a severe intoxication with a liquid containing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and inorganic arsenic (iAs). In this rare case a liver transplantation of was considered as the only chance of survival. We developed and applied methods for the determination of Cr(VI) in erythrocytes and total chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) in blood, plasma, urine and liver tissue by ICP-MS. Exposure to iAs was diagnosed by determination of iAs species and their metabolites in urine by anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS. Three days after ingestion of the liquid the total Cr concentrations were 2180 and 1070μg/L in whole blood and plasma, respectively, and 4540μg/L Cr(VI) in erythrocytes. The arsenic concentration in blood was 206μg/L. The urinary As species concentrations were <0.5, 109, 115, 154 and 126μg/L for arsenobetaine, As(III), As(V), methylarsonate (V) and dimethylarsinate (V), respectively. Total Cr and As concentrations in the explanted liver were 11.7 and 0.9mg/kg, respectively. Further analytical results of this case study are tabulated and provide valuable data for physicians and toxicologists., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

A fast and reliable high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) routine method was developed for the determination of inorganic arsenic [As(III) and As(V)], organic monomethylarsonate [MMA(V)], dimethylarsinate [DMA(V)], and arsenobetaine (As-B) in human urine. The complete method validation is described, including internal and external quality assurance. Limits of quantification for the As species are 0.1 microg/L, which is sufficient to determine background concentrations of the arsenic species in human urine. Additionally, total As in all urine samples was determined by conventional ICP-MS. Mean concentrations for 82 non-exposed inhabitants from northern Germany are 12.7, 5.9, 4.0, 0.23, 0.52, and 0.17 microg/L for total As, As-B, DMA(V), As(III), MMA(V), and As(V), respectively. Approximately 15% of the total As was not identified by the anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS method, and could be other As metabolites in urine. Two case studies underline the need for As speciation, especially when total urinary arsenic concentrations are elevated. In the first case, we investigated the effect of seafood consumption on the concentration of different arsenic species in urine for different persons. A maximum enhancement of total As from 1 up to 2,200 microg/L (2,000 microg/L for As-B) was observed after a normal fish meal. The second case describes the exposure of a 7-year-old child to As(III) by inhalation of calcium arsenite powder. Five hours after exposure, the concentrations in the child's urine for As-B, DMA(V), As(III), MMA(V), and As(V) were < 0.1, 189, 304, 229, and 27 microg/L, respectively, and these concentrations were reduced to normal background values after 4 days.