I am not aware of any adverse toxic effects of metals due to playing brass
instruments. I did a
quick Medline search and found nothing related to musicians. There were
several articles
on respiratory disease in workers and welders in the brass industry (high
exposures), and potential toxicity of brass materials used in dentistry. I
suspect that if there is some effect that it might be due to copper ions
--but, in general, even this seems unlikely to me. Metals usually produce
specific toxic effects. Are the effects observed consistent with Cu, Zn, or
Fe toxicity?
Another possibility to consider is toxicity due to components in valve or
slide oils.
Any comments from others?
Chuck
Dr. Charles A. Miller, rellim at mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
Dept. Environmental Health Sciences, SL29
Center for Bioenvironmental Research
Tulane Univ. School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
1430 Tulane Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504)585-6942
