Blood lead and cadmium levels in a six hospital employee population. PESA study, 2009 (original) (raw)
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Science of The Total Environment, 1989
Exposure to cadmium and lead was studied using a dietary survey. Data for 1348 individuals aged 25-64 years were collected using 3-day food records. In addition to the dietary intake of heavy metals, the effect of the following were also analyzed: smoking frequency, place of residence, occupation and age. Total cadmium and lead exposure was estimated by calculating intake from food plus that from inhalation, i.e. from urban air and smoking. Heavy smoking increased the cadmium exposure threefold. The distribution curve of total cadmium exposure was bimodal due to the additional exposure caused by smoking. The distribution curve of the lead and cadmium exposure from food was also skewed, being mostly influenced by food intake. Contaminated urban air slightly increased the total exposure to lead. Occupation had a minor effect on the exposure to both metals. Housewives and retired persons were the least exposed groups. The distribution pattern and wide range of heavy metal exposure should be taken into account in risk assessment for contaminants in food. The additional exposure to cadmium and lead from smoking and from air and water should be considered.
Lead, cadmium, and mercury are well-known toxic metals that are widespread in the environment. These metals occur as a result of both natural processes and human activities. They can cause a wide spectrum of multisystemic adverse health effects ranging from subclinical changes in function to serious intoxication. In the last decade, a number of new studies have led to increased awareness of the health risks associated with environmental exposure to lead, cadmium, and mercury, even at low levels of exposure. Exposure assessments have typically focused on children and women of childbearing age because developing children and fetuses are especially sensitive to environmental poisons. Women who are nearing menopause may be another segment of the population that is very sensitive to environmental pollutants, including toxic metals, because menopause is one of the periods during a women's life where she is at an increased risk for adverse health effects caused by these metals . Postmenopausal quality of life is of great concern, as demographic trends in Polish society indicate an increasing proportion of women at the peri-and post-menopausal stages of life [2].
Science of the Total Environment, 2016
The Cd and Pb blood contents of healthy adult subjects who are non-occupationally exposed and living in the metropolitan area of Athens (Greece) have not been assessed thus far. Additionally, Greeks rank first among EU27 in terms of smoking habits. To fill the existing gap, we aimed to evaluate the predictors and propose reference values (RVs) of the Cd (CdB) and Pb (PbB) blood concentrations in residents of the metropolitan area of Athens (Greece). Age, sex, smoking, alcohol drinking, educational status and nutritional habits were used as variables, with an emphasis on smoking. CdB and PbB determinations were performed directly by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) following the appropriate dilution of the samples with Triton-X-100. The RVs of CdB and PbB proposed for the general adult population of the Metropolitan area of Athens, Greece (upper limit of the 95% CI of the 95th percentile of the distribution of values), were 2.3 and 88 μg L −1 (P95: 1.8 and 77 μg L −1 ; 95% CI (P95): 1.5-2.3 and 70-88 μg L −1), respectively. Males had a higher median CdB (0.69 μg L −1) than females (0.55 μg L −1). Subjects aged b 40 years had a lower median CdB (0.51 μg L −1) than the elderly (≥ 60 years; 0.60 μg L −1). The CdB in smokers (1.2 μg L −1) was almost threefold higher than in j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v non-smokers (0.46 μg L −1). The PbB levels were higher in males (31 μg L −1) than females (20 μg L −1). Subjects aged b40 years had a lower median PbB (17 μg L −1) than the elderly (≥60 years; 32 μg L −1). A multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that the predictor variables for the CdB levels were the standardized beta weight, smoking, age, alcohol consumption, and intake of leafy vegetables, whereas for the PbB levels they were sex and age.
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2014
This paper provides the first baseline information on a national scale regarding lead exposure in the Spanish adult population. Blood lead levels were measured in a representative sample of the Spanish working population (1880 subjects aged 18-65 years) in order to help establish reference levels, follow temporal trends, identify high-exposure groups and to enable comparisons with other countries. All participants completed an epidemiological questionnaire including gender, age, occupational sector, geographic area, and dietary and lifestyle information. We found that the geometric mean of blood lead levels in the study population was 24.0 g/L (95% CI: 23.0-25.1 g/L), with women having significantly lower levels than men, 19.5 g/L (18.5-20.5 g/L) compared to 28.3 g/L (26.7-30.0 g/L), respectively. Mean blood lead levels were higher in elder groups in both genders. Women of a childbearing age had blood levels of 18.0 g/L (GM). Reference values (95%) for lead in blood in the studied population was 56.80 g/L, with −64.00 g/L, 44.80 g/L and 36.00 g/L for man, women and women of childbearing age, respectively. Workers from the service sector had lower blood lead levels than those from the construction, agricultural and industry sectors. Small, although significant, geographical differences had been found.
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 2013
The aim of the study was to make an international comparison of blood levels of cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) of women in seven European, and three non-European cities, and to identify determinants. About 50 women (age: 46-62) from each city were recruited (totally 480) in 2006-2009. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained. Blood samples were analysed in one laboratory to avoid interlaboratory variation. Between the European cities, the B-Pb and B-Cd results vary little (range of geometric means: 13.5-27.0 μg/l and 0.25-0.65 μg/l, respectively); the variation of B-Hg was larger (0.40-1.38 μg/l). Between the non-European cities the results for B-Pb, B-Cd and B-Hg were 19.2-68.0, 0.39-0.99 and 1.01-2.73 μg/l, respectively. Smoking was a statistically significant determinant for B-Cd, while fish and shellfish intakes contributed to B-Hg and B-Pb, amalgam fillings also contributed to B-Hg. The present results confirm the previous results from children; the exposure to lead and cadmium varies only little between different European cities suggesting that other factors than the living area are more important. The study also confirms the previous findings of higher cadmium and lead levels in some non-European cities. The geographical variation for mercury is significant.
Toxics
The aim of the present study was to find if workers chronically exposed to lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) presented changes in their general health and in the clinical parameters of the population under study. We carried out a cross-sectional survey in a sample of informal workers in Cartagena, Colombia. The population under study was composed of male informal workers (≥18 years of age), with experience in their job, selected from occupational settings with potential exposure to Pb and Cd (i.e., mechanics, battery and garbage recyclers, and welders). The median age was 45 years (interquartile range (IQR), 33–53). The median blood Pb level (BLL) was 2 μg/dL (IQR, 0.76–6.22), and the median of blood Cd level (BCL) was 1.22 μg/L (IQR, 0.33–2.01). The study found that 33% of high exposure jobs with BLL > 5 μg/dL (n = 57), whereas in ‘control’ workers, this was 15.3% (n = 9). The highest BLLs were found in battery recyclers (82.1%; n = 23), followed by mechanics (37.3%, n = 22). In the lo...
Children's blood-lead concentration (B-Pb) is well studied, but little is known about cadmium (B-Cd) and mercury (B-Hg), in particular for central Europe. Such information is necessary for risk assessment and management. Therefore, we here describe and compare B-Pb, B-Cd and B-Hg in children in six European, and three non-European cities, and identify determinants of these exposures. About 50 school children (7-14 years) from each city were recruited (totally 433) in 2007-2008. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained. A blood sample was analyzed: only two laboratories with strict quality control were used. The European cities showed only minor differences for B-Cd (geometric means 0.11-0.17 μg/L) and B-Pb (14-20 μg/L), but larger for B-Hg (0.12-0.94 μg/L). Corresponding means for the non-European countries were 0.21-0.26, 32-71, and 0.3-3.2 μg/L, respectively. For B-Cd in European samples, traffic intensity close to home was a statistically significant determinant, for B-Hg fish consumption and amalgam fillings, and for B-Pb sex (boys higher). This study shows that European city children's B-Cd and B-Pb vary only little between countries; B-Hg differs considerably, due to varying tooth restoration practices and fish intake. Traffic intensity seemed to be a determinant for B-Cd. The metal concentrations were low from a risk perspective but the chosen non-European cities showed higher concentrations than the cities in Europe.
Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2005
Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) exposure of children and their mothers living in the vicinity of industrial sources (metal refining) was assessed by a cross-sectional study performed in 2000. Study areas were the highly industrialized city of Duisburg and a rural area of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Exposure to ambient air concentrations of Cd and Pb was calculated from a Lagrange dispersion model using data sets from ambient air quality measurements. Cd in blood and urine and Pb in blood were measured by AAS. Mean age (years) was 6.4 (range 5.5-7.7) for children (n ¼ 238) and 36 (range 23-48) for mothers (n ¼ 213). A total of 49% of the children were males. Factors suspected to influence metal levels in blood or urine were obtained by questionnaire. Individual ambient Cd and Pb levels according to the home address ranged from 0.5 ng/m 3 (Cd) and 0.03 mg/m 3 (Pb) (rural area) up to 31.2 ng/m 3 (Cd) and 0.73 mg/m 3 (Pb) (industrialized area). Cd levels (geometric mean) in blood (0.13 and 0.10 mg/L) and urine (both areas 0.09 mg/L) of children did not differ between the two areas. Cd levels in blood and urine of mothers from the industrialized area were higher (blood 0.39 mg/L, urine 0.28 mg/L) than in those from the rural area (blood 0.25 mg/L, urine 0.25 mg/L). Pb levels in the blood of children from the industrialized area were higher (31 mg/L) than in those from the rural area (21 mg/L). Pb levels in the blood of mothers did not differ between the two areas (both 24 mg/L). Pb levels in blood showed a significant association between child and mother (n ¼ 192; r ¼ 0:26, po0:001). This did not apply for Cd in blood or urine. Regression analysis clearly revealed that Pb levels in ambient air were associated with Pb in the blood of children. Minor associations were also found between Cd in air and Cd in the blood of mothers and between Cd in air and urine of mothers.
Microchemical Journal, 2005
Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are environmental pollutants, known to cause adverse health effects in humans even following long-term exposure to low doses. These metals, individually or in combination with other persistent environmental contaminants, have been claimed to have the potential to cause alterations in the function of the endocrine system. Human exposure to Pb and Cd is generally assessed by monitoring their concentrations in blood, taking into account the influence of various factors, such as age, gender, smoking habit, occupation, alcohol consumption, diet and air pollution. Following the phase-out of leaded gasoline in the European Union and improvements in foodpackaging and contamination control, a decrease in blood Pb levels of the general population has been observed in several European countries and the USA. We report the preliminary results of a study, performed within the framework of the project ''Human Exposure to Xenobiotics with potential Endocrine Activities: Evaluation of Reproductive and Developmental risks''. We measured the concentrations of Cd and Pb in the blood of a group of patients with endocrine/metabolic disorders. The analytical procedures, based on atomic absorption spectrometry, were validated according to the EURACHEM guidelines. The median values and ranges were 0.48 Ag l À1 (0.20 -1.73 Ag l À1 ) and 21.8 Ag l À1 (12.0 -65.7 Ag l À1 ) for Cd and Pb, respectively; the Cd levels were significantly higher in smokers. Overall, the concentrations of Cd and Pb found in our series of patients were comparable to levels currently expected in the general population. D