AMBIENTUM BIOETHICA BIOLOGIA CHEMIA DIGITALIA DRAMATICA EDUCATIO ARTIS GYMNAST. ENGINEERING EPHEMERIDES EUROPAEA GEOGRAPHIA GEOLOGIA HISTORIA HISTORIA ARTIUM INFORMATICA IURISPRUDENTIA MATHEMATICA MUSICA NEGOTIA OECONOMICA PHILOLOGIA PHILOSOPHIA PHYSICA POLITICA PSYCHOLOGIA-PAEDAGOGIA SOCIOLOGIA THEOLOGIA CATHOLICA THEOLOGIA CATHOLICA LATIN THEOLOGIA GR.-CATH. VARAD THEOLOGIA ORTHODOXA THEOLOGIA REF. TRANSYLVAN
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Authors: ANDREEA BRAD, ANDREA BRIGITA BLAGA, CRISTIAN POP.
The objective of this study was to assess children’s exposure to lead and cadmium in the Baia Mare area, a place known for its heavy metal contamination resulted from the mining activities carried out in the past. Blood and urine samples were collected from 33 children aged between 2 years and 8 months to 14 years. The parents of all 33 children completed a questionnaire; the questionnaire provided information on the demographic characteristics, playground activities and health data in particular. Urinary cadmium was measured with the help of atomic absorption spectrometers with a graphite furnace, and the lead in the blood was determined with the help of anodic stripping voltammetry. The median values of the biomarkers were of 0.99 μg/L (ranging between 0.40-2.66 μg/L) for urinary cadmium and 3.3 μg/dL (ranging between 1.3-13 μg/dL) for lead in the blood, both being below the general reference levels of the population. A positive association was found between urinary cadmium and the age of the participants: the concentration of the cadmium levels in the urine increased with age (p = 0.026). Statistically significant differences were found between blood lead levels and children playing in the sand (p = 0.018). Although such an approach requires substantial resources in order to develop scientific models to analyze the environment-health relationship, it is very important to expand this pilot study to a larger population, children representing the group of population with an increased susceptibility to lead and cadmium exposures.
Keywords: urinary cadmium, blood lead levels, children, exposure
