title: Dogs as indicators of urban lead distribution.
abstract: Lead (Pb) concentrations in 398 samples of dog whole blood were determined by atomic absorption method. All samples were within the normal range of values reported in literature, 95% of the samples had <8.0 μg/100 ml lead. The correlation between blood lead level and the volume of traffic was highly significant. About 11% of the variability in concentration can be explained by the traffic flows near the animal's home. The findings confirm that traffic contributes a significant portion of the total inhaled lead. The use of dogs as environmental lead monitors is discussed. It is concluded that in non-occupational situations a survey of lead in blood of dogs may serve as a feasible, low-cost alternative to large-scale surveys of humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment and Workplace Safety and Health, Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kucera