Lead and cadmium concentrations in blood of people living near a copper smelter in Legnica, Poland.
Examination of 60 inhabitants (including 28 children) of a village 900 m from a copper smelter with concurrent monitoring of air pollution was performed. Blood levels of lead and cadmium were measured three times in five years. At the same time dust amounts and air-dust concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Mn, Cr, Zn, Ni and As were measured. In the first phase of the investigation, for nearly 60% of days Pb and Cu air concentrations exceeded 2-5 times the norm. In the third stage, after significant reductions of gas-dust emissions (copper from 992 to 47 tons/year, lead from 1720 to 30 tons/year) no excessive metal air concentrations are noted. In the first examination the average blood lead concentration was 0.766 +/- 0.14 microgram/ml (in the group of children 0.52 +/- 0.07 microgram/ml). After five years, there was a statistically significant decrease in the blood concentrations of lead, to 0.44 +/- 0.14 microgram/ml (children 0.31 +/- 0.05 microgram/ml), and cadmium, to 0.028 +/- 0.007 microgram/ml (children 0.019 +/- 0.004 microgram/ml). A big lead and cadmium load in the villagers, despite the substantial reduction of gas and dust emission, points to the contamination of the surroundings of the cooper smelter.
Andrzejak
R
R
Department of Internal and Occupational Diseases, Medical Academy, Wroclaw, Poland.
Antonowicz
J
J
Tomczyk
J
J
Lepetow
T
T
Smolik
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003300:Copper; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D013997:Time Factors
D000393:Air Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D003300:Copper