Elemental investigation of renal calculi in Jamaica by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA)

Sixty-one kidney stone samples were analysed for Al, As, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Sc, Sr, V, and Zn by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used to interpret and classify the dataset and were able to identify calcium and non-calcium stones. There was clustering of the elements Ca, K, Mg, Na, Sr, and Zn. The data indicated significant relationships between Ca, Na, Sr, and Zn, although causation could not be established.