Blood lead and cadmium in dogs from urban India.

Concentrations of lead and cadmium were estimated in blood samples of 43 healthy dogs from urban India. Concentrations were 19.5+/-2.1 microg lead/dL and 0.74+/-0.13 microg cadmium/dL, which were considerably higher for rural dogs. Sex, age, and diet had no significant effect on lead and cadmium blood concentrations, yet male and adult dogs had higher levels than females and young dogs. The use of dogs as sentinels for environment quality in India was indicated by this study.