Occupational determinants of cumulative lead exposure: analysis of bone lead among men in the VA normative aging study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relation between occupation and cumulative lead exposure-assessed by measuring bone lead-in a community-dwelling population.


METHODS
We measured bone lead concentration with K-shell X-Ray Fluorescence in 1320 men in the Normative Aging Study. We categorized job titles into 14 broad US Census Bureau categories. We used ordinary least squares regression to estimate bone lead by job categories adjusted for other predictors.


RESULTS
Service workers, construction, and extractive craft workers and installation, maintenance, and repair craft workers had the highest bone lead concentrations. Including occupations significantly improved the overall model (P < 0.001) and reduced by 15% to 81% the association between bone lead and education categories.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupation significantly predicts cumulative lead exposure in a community-dwelling population and accounts for a large proportion of the association between education and bone lead.
From the Department of Environmental Health (Drs Ji, Schwartz, and Weisskopf) and Department of Epidemiology (Drs Schwartz and Weisskopf), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Public Health and Medicine (Dr Sparrow), Mass; and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Dr Hu), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
John S
JS
Ji
Joel
J
Schwartz
David
D
Sparrow
Howard
H
Hu
Marc G
MG
Weisskopf
D000368:Aged; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009790:Occupations; D011859:Radiography; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans
D007854:Lead