Environmental lead exposure of an urban Indian population

Abstract

Environmental lead exposure of the Greater Bombay population has been estimated by measuring lead concentrations in air particulates, water, food and cigarette smoke. Atmospheric lead concentrations in different zones of the city varied between 82 and 605 ng m-3. The dietary intake of lead is estimated to be 245 micrograms day-1 and is calculated from the lead content in different food groups and the amount of that group consumed by an average resident of the city. The uptake by a non-smoker living in the city area is estimated to be 33 micrograms of lead per day, 75% of which comes from food, 15% from air and 10% from water. For a suburban resident 85% of the lead intake comes from food. The blood lead measurements and the contribution of atmospheric lead to the blood lead level are discussed.