Urinary Amino-acetone Excretion in Lead Workers.

Urinary amino-acetone concentrations were determined in a group of 51 persons with industrial exposure to lead and the findings compared with those obtained from a control group of 27 persons having no exposure to lead.A good correlation was found between delta-aminolaevulinic acid and amino-acetone excretion in the control group but this correlation was not so well defined in the lead-exposed group. In this group excretion of amino-acetone seemed to be better correlated with excretion of delta-aminolaevulinic acid for values less than 0.6 mg.% than with values greater than 0.6 mg.%. All the men concerned in the investigation were employed in dusty occupations. Hypotheses are put forward to attempt to explain the differences in excretion of amino-acetone noted amongst lead workers with high excretion of delta aminolaevulinic acid.Little correlation was found between amino-acetone excretion and that of either porphobilinogen or coproporphyrin.