title: Cadmium, mercury and lead in the blood of urban women in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, China, Ecuador and Morocco.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Hazards and Genetic Toxicology, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Sosnowiec, Poland. n-pawlas@wp.pl
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pawlas
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Strömberg
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carlberg
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerna
authors.forename: Florencia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Harari
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harari
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horvat
authors.forename: Frantiska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hruba
authors.forename: Kvetoslava
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koppova
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krskova
authors.forename: Mladen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krsnik
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Löfmark
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lundh
authors.forename: Nils-Göran
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Lundström
authors.forename: Badiaâ
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lyoussi
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Markiewicz-Górka
authors.forename: Darja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazej
authors.forename: Josko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Osredkar
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pawlas
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rentschler
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Spevackova
authors.forename: Zdravko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Spiric
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sundkvist
authors.forename: Janja Snoj
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tratnik
authors.forename: Draženka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vadla
authors.forename: Soumia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zizi
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skerfving
authors.forename: Ingvar A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bergdahl
mesh_terms: D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood*; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D018876:Environmental Illness / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead; D008628:Mercury