Metals in sweat: what the older research found
A review found arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in sweat. Some exposed workers excreted substantial amounts, but treatment evidence was limited.
Worth knowing: The worker lead result is from Haber 1985, cited by this review. Its original extended abstract was not independently retrieved for this summary.
The short version
Researchers reviewed 24 reports on arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in sweat. Some studies in exposed workers found substantial excretion, sometimes comparable to urine. The review also described lower blood lead after endurance training and recovery from mercury poisoning after combined treatment. Those findings deserve attention. They do not isolate the effect of sauna: the studies used different methods, and some involved exercise, medicines or single patients.
Keep in mind
This is evidence about excretion and possible treatment effects, with major differences in exposure, collection methods and other treatments.
What they found
Some studies measured skin excretion comparable to urinary excretion. Results varied by metal and exposure.
The review reports blood lead falling from a mean 430 to 370 µg/L in exposed workers after endurance rowing. Urine lead did not change clearly. This was exercise, not a sauna trial.
What this means for your practice
These observations support further research. They do not establish sauna as treatment for metal poisoning.
Methods and limitations
What the researchers did
The search covered five databases through March 2011. The 24 reports represented 22 or 23 studies, with possible participant overlap.
How much can this tell us?
Sweat can contain these metals. A lasting reduction in stored metal from ordinary sauna use needs a different test. Older methods, surface contamination and overlapping reports complicate comparisons.
What makes it useful
- Search across five databases
- Includes occupationally exposed people
What limits it
- Old and varied methods
- Few treatment comparisons
- Some reports overlap
Where this study fits
Where this study fits
We score claims, not single studies. This one is part of the evidence for:
Sweat can carry arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury out of the body. Some support
Low certaintySize not reportedBody signals
Daily sweating may help lower mercury levels after occupational exposure. Early signal
Very low certaintySize not reportedBody signals
Read the original
Sears ME et al. Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review. Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2012.
DOI 10.1155/2012/184745 · PubMed 22505948