Universidad de Alcalá, Unidad de Toxicología, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km, 33.6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca el Encín, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km, 38.2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Environ Int. 2014 Nov;72:170-5. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.03.010. Epub 2014 Mar 26.
In recent years there has been an increased interest from the European Union (EU) in the development of large Human Bio-monitoring (HBM) studies across Europe, especially biomonitoring toxic metals. In Spain, most studies using hair as a biomarker have been conducted to determine occupational or industrial exposures, and have involved adult populations. Few studies have involved adolescents and children, despite these groups being sensitive to environmental contamination and pollutants. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the degree of lead exposure in children and adolescents residing in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Lead poisoning is the number one toxicological threat in the environment. So, lead (Pb) was selected as it is a persistent environmental contaminant, is measureable and is also a neurotoxin that can affect brain development. The city of Alcalá de Henares was divided into four zones to determine the influence of residence area on Pb levels. A range of other variables including age and gender were also considered within the study. The study comprised 115 children (6-9 years old) and 96 adolescents (13-16 years old). There was a significant difference between the levels of Pb in the hair of adolescents, for different gender and area of residence (p<0.001 and p<0.01 respectively). There was no significant difference in the Pb levels in hair of children, for different gender or area of the city. The levels of Pb were significantly (p<0.001) elevated in children compared to adolescents (1.48 vs. 0.70 μg/g), and there was a significant difference in Pb levels in male and female adolescent hair (0.53 vs. 0.77 μg/g) (p<0.001). The association observed between areas of residence and the Pb level in hair of the adolescent group could be mainly attributed to dietary habits and/or socioeconomic status.
近年来，欧盟（EU）对在欧洲开展大型人体生物监测（HBM）研究，特别是生物监测有毒金属的兴趣日益增加。在西班牙，大多数使用头发作为生物标志物的研究都是为了确定职业或工业暴露，并且涉及成年人群体。很少有研究涉及青少年和儿童，尽管这些群体对环境污染和污染物敏感。因此，本研究的目的是确定居住在西班牙阿尔卡拉德埃纳雷斯的儿童和青少年的铅暴露程度。铅中毒是环境中头号毒理学威胁。因此，选择铅（Pb）作为研究对象，因为它是一种持久性环境污染物，可测量，也是一种可影响大脑发育的神经毒素。将阿尔卡拉德埃纳雷斯市分为四个区，以确定居住区域对 Pb 水平的影响。研究还考虑了其他一些变量，包括年龄和性别。该研究包括 115 名儿童（6-9 岁）和 96 名青少年（13-16 岁）。青少年的头发中 Pb 水平因性别和居住区域的不同而存在显著差异（p<0.001 和 p<0.01）。儿童头发中 Pb 水平因性别或城市区域的不同无显著差异。与青少年相比，儿童的 Pb 水平显著升高（p<0.001）（1.48 与 0.70μg/g），且男女青少年头发中的 Pb 水平也存在显著差异（0.53 与 0.77μg/g）（p<0.001）。观察到青少年组头发中 Pb 水平与居住区域之间的关联主要归因于饮食习惯和/或社会经济地位。
