Froom P, Kristal-Boneh E, Benbassat J, Ashkanazi R, Ribak J
Occupational Health and Rehabilitation Institute, Raanana, Israel.
J Occup Environ Med. 1999 Feb;41(2):120-3. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199902000-00007.
Anemia is a manifestation of lead toxicity. However, there are conflicting reports of its prevalence among lead-exposed workers, and it is uncertain whether they should be monitored by periodic hemoglobin (Hb) examinations. To explore the relationship between Hb and lead exposure, we examined the correlation between Hb, blood lead (PbB), and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels in 961 blood samples obtained from 94 workers in a lead-acid battery plant in Israel between 1980 and 1993. Blood lead levels exceeded 60 micrograms/dL (2.90 mumol/L) in 105 (14%) of the blood samples. The correlation between PbB and logZPP was 0.594. Hb levels did not correlate with PbB or ZPP. We conclude that (a) periodic Hb determinations are not a useful indicator of lead exposure in Israeli industrial workers; (b) the discrepancies between the reported correlation between PbB and Hb levels remain unexplained and in need of further study; and (c) a finding of anemia in a person with PbB levels of up to 80 micrograms/dL should be considered to be due to lead toxicity only after other causes for anemia have been excluded.
贫血是铅中毒的一种表现。然而，关于铅暴露工人中贫血患病率的报道相互矛盾，而且不确定是否应该通过定期检测血红蛋白（Hb）来对他们进行监测。为了探究Hb与铅暴露之间的关系，我们检测了1980年至1993年间从以色列一家铅酸电池厂的94名工人采集的961份血样中Hb、血铅（PbB）和锌原卟啉（ZPP）水平之间的相关性。105份（14%）血样的血铅水平超过60微克/分升（2.90微摩尔/升）。PbB与logZPP之间的相关性为0.594。Hb水平与PbB或ZPP均无相关性。我们得出以下结论：（a）定期检测Hb并非以色列产业工人铅暴露的有用指标；（b）关于PbB与Hb水平之间报道的相关性差异仍无法解释，需要进一步研究；（c）只有在排除其他贫血原因后，血铅水平高达80微克/分升的人出现贫血才应被认为是由铅中毒所致。
