Cadmium and Lead Levels in Blood and Arsenic Levels in Urine among Schoolchildren Living in Contaminated Glassworks Areas, Sweden

Kristoffer Mattisson, Eva Tekavec, Thomas Lundh and Emilie Stroh
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Kristoffer Mattisson: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
Eva Tekavec: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
Thomas Lundh: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden
Emilie Stroh: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, 22362 Lund, Sweden

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: The Kingdom of Crystal, an area in southern Sweden famous for its many glassworks, is historically heavily burdened by pollution from this industry. Glass crust containing cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) has been deposited around the area and used as filling. The purpose of this study was to monitor whether the high levels of metals in the contaminated soil were reflected in blood and urine among school children in this area. Blood and urine samples were collected from 87 children in 2017. The levels of cadmium (Cd-B) and lead (Pb-B) found in blood were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The speciation of As in urine (As-U) was performed by ion chromatography. The geometric mean of Cd-B and Pb-B among the children were 0.09 μg/L and 9.9 μg/L respectively. The geometric mean of inorganic As (AsIII and AsV) with metabolites in urine was 6.1 μg/L and 6.94 μg/g creatinine. Children in the study area had blood levels of Pb and Cd that correspond to levels generally found in Swedish children. The levels of inorganic As and its metabolites in urine were low and in the same magnitude as other children in Europe and the U.S.

Keywords: biological monitoring; lead; cadmium; arsenic; children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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