Blood Lead Monitoring in a Former Mining Area in Euskirchen, Germany—Volunteers across the Entire Population

Jens Bertram, Christian Ramolla, André Esser, Thomas Schettgen, Nina Fohn and Thomas Kraus
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Jens Bertram: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Christian Ramolla: Public Health Department, District of Euskirchen, 53879 Euskirchen, Germany
André Esser: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Thomas Schettgen: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Nina Fohn: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Thomas Kraus: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: After centuries of mining in the district of Euskirchen, that is, in the communities of Mechernich and Kall, the lead concentration in the soil remains high, often exceeding regulatory guidelines. To clarify the lead body burden among residents in the region, a human biomonitoring study on a voluntary basis was initiated in which the blood lead level (BLL) was assessed. A questionnaire was distributed to evaluate lead exposure routes and confounders. Overall, 506 volunteers participated in the study, of whom 7.5% were children and adolescents, 71.9% were adults from 18 to 69 years, and 19.4% were residents 70 years or older. While the BLLs in the adult population were inconspicuous, among the children and adolescents investigated, 16.7% of the children between 3 and 17 years had BLLs above the recently revised German reference values for BLL in children. These results point towards a higher lead exposure in children living in the region. The hierarchical regression analysis based on the BLL and the questionnaire revealed the significant influence of the factors age, sex, smoking, construction age of the real estate, occupancy, and intensive contact with soil on the BLL. Measures to reduce lead exposure include a focus on improved personal and domestic hygiene to minimize lead intake.

Keywords: BLL; former; lead; mining area; blood; Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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