Exposição humana ao chumbo em areas de mineração, Vale do Ribeira, Brasil

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2002

RESUMO

During the last fifty years the Ribeira river valley, in the southem part of the state of São Paulo and east of state of Paraná, Brazil, had been under the influence of the full activity of a huge lead refinery and mine working by the side of the river. The plant completely stopped all kind ofindustrial activities at the end of 1995, and part ofthe worker population and their families still remain living nearby in small communities. The objective of the study was to assess the exposure of children and adults to lead and cadmium in theses areas, where residual environmental contamination from the past industrial activity still exists. Blood samples of 334 children aged 7 to 14, and 350 adults aged 15 to 70, residing in rural and urban areas around the mine and the refinery, were collected. A questionnaire was given in order to gather infonnation on food habits, leisure activities, current and former residential places, father s past employment (children), occupational activities (adults), among other variables. Blood lead and cadmium concentrations were analysed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) using Zeeman background correction. Cadmium values obtained in this population were mostly below established quantification limit (0.5 mu g/dL). The median of blood lead leveI (BLL) obtained in children and adults living dose to the lead refinery was 11.25 mu g/dL and 8,80 mu g/dL, and the median in other mining regions far from the refinery was 4.4 mu g/dL and 2,80 mu g/dL, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the independent contribution of selected variables in prediding BLL in these children. The following variables showed significant association with high BLL: residential area dose to the lead refinery [Odds Ratio (OR) = 10.38 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 4.86-23.25)]; former father s occupational lead exposure [OR = 4.07 (95% CI = 1.82-9.24)], and male gender [OR = 2.60 (95% CI = 1.24-5.62)]. Residential area dose to the lead refinery, male gender, age, smoking and alcohol consumption were positively associated with blood lead levei in adults

ASSUNTO(S)

minas e recursos minerais cadmio chumbo crianças e adultos epidemiologia saude ambiental

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