ArticleInternational journal of occupational medicine and environmental health2023
A regional comparison of children's blood cadmium, lead, and mercury in rural, urban and industrial areas of six European countries, and China, Ecuador, and Morocco.
Article in International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Human biomonitoring in support of the Minamata Convention: a case of phasing out dental amalgam.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
24 authors at 14 institutions in 12 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe authors aimed to evaluate whether blood cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) in children differ regionally in 9 countries, and to identify factors correlating with exposure. MATERIAL AND
methodsThe authors performed a cross-sectional study of children aged 7-14 years, living in 2007-2008 in urban, rural, or potentially polluted ("hot spot") areas (ca. 50 children from each area, in total 1363 children) in 6 European and 3 non-European countries. The authors analyzed Cd, Pb, and total Hg in blood and collected information on potential determinants of exposure through questionnaires. Regional differences in exposure levels were assessed within each country.
resultsChildren living near industrial "hot-spots" had B-Cd 1.6 (95% CI: 1.4-1.9) times higher in the Czech Republic and 2.1 (95% CI:1.6-2.8) times higher in Poland, as compared to urban children in the same countries (geometric means [GM]: 0.13 μg/l and 0.15 μg/l, respectively). Correspondingly, B-Pb in the "hot spot" areas was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6-2.1) times higher than in urban areas in Slovakia and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.9-2.7) times higher in Poland (urban GM: 19.4 μg/l and 16.3 μg/l, respectively). In China and Morocco, rural children had significantly lower B-Pb than urban ones (urban GM: 64 μg/l and 71 μg/l, respectively), suggesting urban exposure from leaded petrol, water pipes and/or coal-burning. Hg "hot spot" areas in China had B-Hg 3.1 (95% CI: 2.7-3.5) times higher, and Ecuador 1.5 (95% CI: 1.2-1.9) times higher, as compared to urban areas (urban GM: 2.45 μg/l and 3.23 μg/l, respectively). Besides industrial exposure, traffic correlated with B-Cd; male sex, environmental tobacco smoke, and offal consumption with B-Pb; and fish consumption and amalgam fillings with B-Hg. However, these correlations could only marginally explain regional differences.
conclusionsThese mainly European results indicate that some children experience about doubled exposures to toxic elements just because of where they live. These exposures are unsafe, identifiable, and preventable and therefore call for preventive actions. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):349-64.
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