Renal bioaccumulation of trace elements in urban and rural Sri Lankan populations: A preliminary study based on post mortem tissue analysis

•Toxic heavy metal exposure is higher in Colombo than CKDu affected rural districts.•Zn and Se levels in renal tissues are lower in residents of rural districts.•The study provides a baseline reference for trace element bioaccumulation in Sri Lanka. Environmental pollution, especially by toxic trace elements, is a global health concern. Heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Lead (Pb) are associated with numerous disorders and are considered by some as an aetiological factor for the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu11CKDu – Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Etiology) epidemic in Sri Lanka. This study explores patterns of bioaccumulation of six trace elements in kidneys obtained during forensic autopsies from urban and rural regions in Sri Lanka. Kidney samples obtained from one urban district (n = 13) and three rural districts (n = 18) were lyophilized, microwave digested and profiled by ICP-MS techniques. The mean age of the sampled population was 47.9 ± 11.3 yrs. Median (IQR) for Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Zn and Se were, 14.67(8.04–22.47) μg/g, 0.44(0.29–0.56) μg/g, 0.11(0.07–0.30) μg/g, 0.15(0.1096–0.3274), 25.55(17.24–39.35) μg/g and 0.52(0.37−0.84) μg/g, respectively. Cd, Zn and Se levels were significantly higher (p