Blood lead and its effect on Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe and hemoglobin levels of children

Abstract

The levels of heavy metals, such as Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Fe, in whole blood samples of Mumbai and Hyderabad children have been determined. In the present study, 576 blood samples of children (3–6 years old) were collected during 1996–1998 and analyzed for heavy metal contents by anodic stripping voltammetry and atomic absorption spectrometry. The geometric mean concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in blood of Mumbai children were 8.0, 0.10, 86.5 and 398.9 μg dl −1, while those for Hyderabad children were 13.3, 0.13, 100.6 and 483.4 μg dl −1, respectively. The geometric mean concentrations of Fe in the blood of Mumbai and Hyderabad children were 21.9 and 34.5 mg dl −1, respectively. Of the Mumbai children, 61.8% were found to have a blood lead concentration less than 10 μg dl −1, while the corresponding proportion of Hyderabad children was 27.4%. Higher concentrations of Pb in the children's blood were observed at high traffic areas in both cities. A decreasing trend in the hemoglobin content with increasing blood lead levels was observed for Mumbai children. A good negative correlation (−0.61) between the blood lead and iron has been observed for Mumbai children The hemoglobin content of 85% of the study population was found to vary between 8 and 14 g%.