Abstract
We analyzed national data on blood lead levels (BLL) and blood cadmium levels (BCL) in residents living near 38 abandoned metal mining areas (n = 5,682, 18-96years old) in Korea that were collected by the first Health Effect Surveillance for Residents in Abandoned Metal mines (HESRAM) from 2008 to 2011. The geometric mean BCL and BLL were 1.60μg/L (95% CI = 1.57-1.62μg/L) and 2.87μg/dL (95% CI = 2.84-2.90μg/dL), respectively, notably higher than levels in the general population in Korea and other countries. We found significantly higher BLL and BCL levels in people living within 2km of an abandoned metal mine (n = 3,165, BCL = 1.87μg/L, BLL = 2.91μg/dL) compared to people living more than 2km away (n = 2,517, BCL = 1.31μg/L, BLL = 2.82μg/dL; P < 0.0001) and to the general population values reported in the literature.
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