The aim of this study was to determine aluminium in pharyngeal tonsils taken from children living in different parts of the Silesia and Małopolska regions in Poland. Pharyngeal tonsils were taken during adenotomies performed according to the currently binding procedures. The aluminium concentration was determined by the ICP-AES method with 0.01 μg⋅g^-1 accuracy using the Perkin Elmer Optima 5300DV™ horizontal plasma apparatus. The average amount that equals the geometric mean of aluminium concentration in tonsils of children from rural village areas living beside the reach of intensive influence of industrial emission was 3.39 μg⋅g^-1 for comparison with an industrial region (Silesia) it was higher 16.90 μg⋅g^-1. Pharyngeal tonsils of children living in Małopolska also contained about 7 times higher concentrations of aluminium – 22.91 μg⋅g^-1 when compared to rural children. Aluminium concentrations in pharyngeal tonsils when gender was concerned revealed considerable differences: girls 12.94 μg⋅g^-1 and boys 18.22 μg⋅g^-1 (p≤0.05).
The cross-correlation analysis between contents of Al and other metals including Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, K, Na, and Cd, in the investigated group of children was observed.