Biological monitoring of metals in children and pregnant women in Poland

Abstract

A pilot study was carried out on the concentration of cadmium, lead, mercury and selenium in blood and urine from 15 first grade school children, 7–8 years of age, living in Katowice‐Szopienice (Silesian Region), and eight pregnant women living in Krakow. The two Polish communities have high levels of pollution from the metallurgic and coal industry. The concentrations of lead in blood for the children ranged from 77 to 255 µg Pb 1−1 with a median (Md) of 163 µg Pb 1−1 and for the women from 32 to 64 µg Pb 1−1 with a Md of 38 µg Pb 1−1 The high lead levels in blood among the children were related to the distance from their home to a smelter. The analysis of lead in urine also identified the children with the highest levels of exposure. The median levels of cadmium in blood were for children 0.5 µg Cd 1−1 and for women 0.7 µg Cd 1−1 and in urine 0.4 µg Cd 1−1 for children and 0.5 µg Cd 1−1 for women. Mercury levels in blood were below 4 µg Hg 1−1 in both groups. The concentrations of selenium in plasma and blood were low and for children the range in blood was 57 to 79 µg Se 1−1 with a Md of 64 µg Se 1−1. The selenium in blood for the pregnant women ranged from 30 to 86 µg Se 1−1 with a Md of 50 µg Se 11.