Search

Objectives: The aim of the study was to make an international comparison of blood levels of cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B- Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) of women in seven European, and three non- European cities, and to identify determinants. Materials and Methods: About 50 women (age: 46– 62) from each city were recruited (totally 480) in 2006–2009. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained. Blood samples were analysed in one laboratory to avoid interlaboratory variation. Results: Between the European cities, the B-Pb and B-Cd results vary little (range of geometric means: 13.5–27.0 μg/l and 0.25–0.65 μg/l, respectively) ; the variation of B-Hg was larger (0.40–1.38 μg/l). Between the non-European cities the results for B-Pb, B-Cd and B-Hg were 19.2– 68.0, 0.39–0.99 and 1.01–2.73 μg/l, respectively. Smoking was a statistically significant determinant for B-Cd, while fish and shellfish intakes contributed to B-Hg and B-Pb, amalgam fillings also contributed to B-Hg. Conclusions: The present results confirm the previous results from children ; the exposure to lead and cadmium varies only little between different European cities suggesting that other factors than the living area are more important. The study also confirms the previous findings of higher cadmium and lead levels in some non-European cities. The geo-graphical variation for mercury is significant.

Systematic approach to human biomonitoring of level of contaminants in blood for sensitive population was conducted. Geographical patterns, regional differences and determinants of exposure for children population.

Chromosomal aberrations (CA) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of healthy individuals might represent a marker of susceptibility to cancer, based on the concept that genetic damage in PBL reflects similar damage in cells undergoing carcinogenesis. We conducted a study based on cohorts from Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia ti study the association between CA levels and (specific) future cancer risk. 6430 subjects were included and followed from the date of the cytogenetic test until the date of death, cancer diagnosis, emigration, 85th birthday or and of follow up. Total CA was defined as the number of cells with aberrations, excluding gaps, per 100 cells and categorized in tertiles by laboratory. 224 subjects were diagnosed with cancer or died from a malignant tumour. The relative risk was 1.55 (95% confidence interval 1.07, 2, 26)in the medium tertile and 1.71 (95% confidence interval 1.17, 2.5) in the upper tertile, as compared with the lower tertile. No significant effect modification by either sex (p=0.26), smoking (p=0.66), age at test (p=0.86), or time since test (p=0.55) was observed. The analyses of specific types of cancer showed a relationship between CA frequency and cancer of the stomach and the colorectum, while for lung cancer the results were only suggestive of an association. No increased risk of head and neck cancer, lymphatic and haematopoietic neoplasms, breast or skin cancer was detected. The present study showed that a high freequency of CA in PBL is associated with an increased risk of cancer.