One thousand five hundred fifty urine samples and 1,295 blood samples, collected from 919 workers, were analyzed for cadmium (Cd). The workers were employed at 16 different types of workplaces. In about 7.5% of the samples, the concentration of Cd exceeded the biological limit values proposed by the Dutch Expert Committee for Occupational Standards. Levels higher than these values were measured in both urine samples and blood samples of workers involved in electrochemical plating, in production of Cd-stabilizers and enamels, and in soldering with silver-cadmium solder. Significantly higher concentrations of beta 2-microglobulin (MG) were found in urine samples with CdU greater than 10 micrograms/g creatinine. Cd levels in urine increased with age.
We studied the relation between the concentrations of lead in blood (PbB) and zinc protoporphyrin in blood (ZPP) in a group of 801 men occupationally exposed for more than one year to lead or inorganic lead compounds. Linear regression of PbB on log ZPP provided 95% tolerance intervals for PbB values for a given ZPP value. The intervals we found are too large to warrant the estimation of PbB on the basis of ZPP measurements in health surveillance of lead workers. Instead we propose a procedure in which ZPP can be used as an indicator to decide which individuals exposed to lead need further investigation of PbB in light of existing limit values for PbB. The procedure is applicable only for PbB values of 2.4 mumol/L or more but may reduce considerably the costs for screening individuals or groups of people exposed to lead.
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