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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Rokho Kim, MD DrPH1, Hyun Kim, BS2, Sung Kyun Park, MPH2, Sang Woo Tak, MPH3, and Howard Hu, MD, ScD4. (1) Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street 6th floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617-624-5633, rokho.kim@state.ma.us, (2) Department of Environmental Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, (4) Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Approximately 95% of total body lead burden is contained in bone, so K X-ray fluorescence measured bone lead level is a reasonable proxy for total body lead burden. Information on the level of exposure to lead among general population in Korea is sparse. We report results from KXRF measurements of lead burden among a group of subjects without any known history of lead toxicity or occupational lead exposure; 119 adult subjects consisted of students and employees of Medical Campus of Seoul National University. No subjects reported to have work processes or maintenance procedures with possible exposure to lead. A 30 min measurement was taken at the mid shaft of the tibia and mid point of the patella of each subject after washing the region with a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol. Subjects consisted of 66 men and 76 women ranging in age from 18 to 66 years with a mean (SD) of 41.2 (13.6) years, and there was no difference in mean age by gender. Tibia lead levels had a mean (SD) of 4.33 (7.68) ug/g. Patella lead levels were somewhat higher than tibia levels with a mean (SD) of 5.84 (6.93) ug/g. This investigation shows that body burden of lead among Korean adult subjects is relatively low. Positve association of bone lead levels with age was noted as was previously reported in the developed countries.
Learning Objectives: "At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to
Keywords: Lead, Assessments
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.