Internal lead and cadmium exposure in 6-year-old children from western and eastern Germany

Abstract

Lead and cadmium levels in blood and deciduous teeth (shed incisors only) of 6-year-old German children were determined in 1991 in a large epidemiological study carried out in rural and urban areas of western Germany (Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Borken) and eastern Germany (Leipzig, Halle, Magdeburg, Osterburg, Gardelelegen, Salzwedel). In total, blood lead and cadmium levels of 2311 German children and tooth lead and cadmium levels of 790 German children were analyzed. Blood lead levels were generally low in all study areas with geometric means between 39.3 micrograms/l and 50.8 micrograms/l in the western German and between 42.3 micrograms/l and 68.1 micrograms/l in the eastern German study areas. The mean blood lead level of Turkish children (n = 213) living in the western German study areas was 50.1 micrograms/l and thus 5.6 micrograms/l higher than the overall geometric mean of the western German children. The higher exposure may be explained by a higher oral uptake from food and different living conditions. These children were excluded from multiple regression analysis because they were all living in the western study areas. The mean tooth lead levels ranged between 1.50 and 1.74 micrograms/g in the western and between 1.51 micrograms/g and 2.72 micrograms/g in the eastern study areas. Thus, they show a distribution pattern similar to blood. Blood and tooth lead levels were higher in urban than in rural areas and higher in the eastern German than in the western German study areas. With regard to the blood and tooth cadmium concentrations, no significant differences between the study areas could be found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Internal Burden of Lead among Children in a Smelter Town—A Small Area Analysis

“…Boys had higher lead levels in both the univariate and in the multivariate analysis as has been reported by others (Roels et al, 1980;Heyworth et al, 1981;Brockhaus et al, 1988;Begerow et al, 1994;Krause et al, 1996) and may be related to play behavior. Younger age was significantly related to higher lead levels in the univariate analysis but not in any of the models, although the younger children tended to have higher levels even in the multivariate analysis (data not shown).…”

“…This was found in two other studies of Eastern German populations (Begerow et al, 1994;Krause et al, 1996). That this association was no longer significant in the multivariate analysis is probably due to confounding.…”

“…An inverse association between age and lead concentrations in blood has been found in other populations with a similar age range (Heyworth et al, 1981;Landrigan et al, 1981;Krause et al, 1996) and is probably related to hand-to-mouth behavior and types of play. Lower socioeconomic status as assessed by the parent's educational levels was associated with higher levels which was also found in another study of eastern German children (Begerow et al, 1994).…”

“…With regard to housing age, the association between living in a house built before World War II and higher lead levels has been found in another study in East Germany and was explained by the water piping being made of lead (Begerow et al, 1994). This trend persisted but was no longer significant in the first model.…”

The German Environmental Survey 1990/1992 (GerES II): cadmium in blood, urine and hair of adults and children

“…Further, the mean cadmium content in cigarettes smoked in the GDR was higher than in the old states of the Federal Republic of Germany. In another large epidemiological study with more than 2000 children at the age of 6 years carried out in West and East Germany, no regional different blood cadmium levels were found ( Begerow et al, 1994 ). Obviously, regional different cadmium concentrations only appear in elder children and adults.…”