Determinants of Bone and Blood Lead Levels Among Minorities Living in the Boston Area

By Lin, Charles

Book Id: WPLBN0000126503
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 0.2 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	Determinants of Bone and Blood Lead Levels Among Minorities Living in the Boston Area
Author:	Lin, Charles
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Government publications, United Nations., United Nations. Office for Disarmament Affairs
Collections:	Government Library Collection, Disarmament Documents
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	United Nations- Office for Disarmament Affairs (Unoda)


Citation APA MLA Chicago Lin, C. (n.d.). Determinants of Bone and Blood Lead Levels Among Minorities Living in the Boston Area. Retrieved from http://self.gutenberg.org/

Description
Government Reference Publication

Excerpt
Excerpt: We measured blood and bone lead levels among minority individuals who live in some of Bostons neighborhoods with high minority representation. Compared with samples of predominantly white subjects we had studied before, the 84 volunteers in this study (33:67 male:female ratio; 31?72 years of age) had similar educational, occupational, and smoking profiles and mean blood, tibia, and patella lead levels (3 micrograms/dL, 11.9 micrograms/g, and 14.2 micrograms/g, respectively) that were also similar. The slopes of the univariate regressions of blood, tibia, and patella lead versus age were 0.10 micrograms/dL/year (p < 0.001), 0.45 micrograms/g/year (p < 0.001), and 0.73 micrograms/g/year (p < 0.001), respectively. Analyses of smoothing curves and regression lines for tibia and patella lead suggested an inflection point at 55 years of age, with slopes for subjects ? 55 years of age that were not only steeper than those of younger subjects but also substantially steeper than those observed for individuals > 55 years of age in studies of predominantly white participants. This apparent racial disparity at older ages may be related to differences in historic occupational and/or environmental exposures, or possibly the lower rates of bone turnover that are known to occur in postmenopausal black women. The higher levels of lead accumulation seen in this age group are of concern because such levels have been shown in other studies to predict elevated risks of chronic disease such as hypertension and cognitive dysfunction. Additional research on bone lead levels in minorities and their socioeconomic and racial determinants is needed. Key words: blacks, blood lead, bone lead, minority groups, occupations, smoking, X-ray fluorescence. Environ Health Perspect 112:1147?1151 (2004). doi:10.1289/ehp.6705 [3 May 2004].