May a comprehensive mineralogical study of a jackstone calculus and some other human bladder stones unveil health and environmental implications?

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health 2022-10, Vol.44 (10), p.3297-3320
• Main Authors: Mercurio, M., Izzo, F., Gatta, Giacomo Diego, Salzano, L., Lotrecchiano, G., Saldutto, P., Germinario, C., Grifa, C., Varricchio, E., Carafa, A., Di Meo, Maria Chiara, Langella, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arsenic; Biomonitoring; Bladder; Cadmium; Calculi; Chemical analysis; Chromium; Detoxification; Dimethylmercury; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Food contamination; Geochemistry; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Mercury compounds; Methyl mercury; Methylmercury; Mineralogy; Original Paper; Patients; Pollution; Public Health; Selenides; Selenium; Soil Science & Conservation; Stone; Synchrotron radiation; Synchrotrons; Terrestrial Pollution; Trace elements; Uric acid; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-01083-x

This paper represents the first result of an active collaboration between the University of Sannio and the San Pio Hospital (Benevento, Italy), started in the 2018, that aims to a detailed mineralogical investigation of urinary stones of patients from Campania region. Herein, selected human bladder stones have been deeply characterized for clinical purposes and environmental biomonitoring, focusing on the importance to evaluate the concentration and distribution of undesired trace elements by means of microscopic techniques in the place of conventional wet chemical analyses. A rare bladder stone with a sea-urchin appearance, known as jackstone calculus, were also investigated (along with bladder stones made of uric acid and brushite) by means a comprehensive analytical approach, including Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction and Simultaneous Thermal Analyses. Main clinical assumptions were inferred according to the morpho-constitutional classification of bladder stones and information about patient’s medical history and lifestyle. In most of the analyzed uroliths, undesired trace elements such as copper, cadmium, lead, chromium, mercury and arsenic have been detected and generally attributable to environmental pollution or contaminated food. Simultaneous occurrence of selenium and mercury should denote a methylmercury detoxification process, probably leading to the formation of a very rare HgSe compound known as tiemannite.