Molybdenum in human whole blood of adult residents of the Merida State (Venezuela)

The concentration of molybdenum was measured in whole blood samples of 418 (244 males and 174 females) apparently normal donors ranging in age from 18 to 27-years old and living in nine different locations in the Mérida State (Venezuela). The geometric mean concentration of molybdenum of 418 subjects was of 2.66±0.66 μg L−1 (range: 1.20–4.80 μg L−1). The levels of molybdenum in whole blood samples found in this work were of 2.57±0.52 and 2.54±0.51 (range: 1.20–4.80 and 1.40–4.20) μg L−1 for males and females, respectively. The data of the content molybdenum in whole blood had no statistical correlation with age, sex or height above the sea level of the sampling sites. However, there was a tendency to decrease the levels of the element in those sampling sites located in highlands (⩾1900 m above the sea level). This variability may be due to the source of molybdenum from the soil to the food chain that has affected its levels in donors from these areas under study. The results of this study are compared with values previously reported for subjects studied in other populations.