Increased prothrombin time and metabolic changes with high serum aluminum levels following long-term exposure to Bayer-process alumina

Serum aluminum levels twice to three times those in controls were found in 30 of 36 workers in a factory in an atmosphere of alumina dust. Inorganic phosphate and total alkaline phosphatase levels were within normal range, with no clinical evidence of phosphate depletion syndrome. Serum intestinal alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and adenosine triphosphate levels were significantly reduced in the group with high levels of aluminum. The finding that the mean prothrombin time was significantly prolonged is of particular interest with respect to beneficial antithrombogenic effect.