Fecal nickel excretion by healthy adults.

Nickel was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in three-day collections of feces from healthy hospital workers (age 22-65) who had lived for more than a year ‘in Hartford, Connecticut. None of the 10 subjects (4 , 6j9.) had occupational exposure to nickel. Fecal nickel averaged 3.3 gzg/g (wet weight); SD, ±0.8; and range, 2.1 to 4.4 tg/g. Corresponding figures on a dry-weight basis were 14.2 tg/g; SD, ±2.7; and range, 10.8 to 18.7 tg/g The fecal excretion of nickel averaged 258 sg/day (SD, ±126; range, 80 to 540 tg/day). Fecal excretion is evidently the major route for elimination of nickel from the human body. Comprehensive evaluations of environmental or occupational exposures to nickel should also include analyses of nickel in serum, urine, and hair.