Occupational exposure to nickel, cobalt, and chromium in the Lithuanian hard metal industry.

Background: Metalworkers are said to have heavy exposure to metals, but the amount of released metal ions from alloys and deposition on the hands is unknown.

Objective: To analyze nickel, cobalt, and chromium in vitro release to the artificial sweat from nails and wire made of different alloys, and to test metal deposition on the fingers of metalworkers.

Material And Methods: Six different samples of nails and wire were kept in artificial sweat for 24 hours and one week, respectively.