Blood lead levels of South African long-distance road-runners.

Road runners are exposed to vehicular exhaust aerosols which are a major source of atmospheric lead pollution in those countries where lead additives are incorporated in petrol. The purpose of this study was twofold: the authors wished to determine the blood lead levels of South African road runners, and they wished to investigate the influence of various environments on such levels. Blood samples were obtained by the finger-prick technique and analyzed for lead by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results were analyzed statistically and compared with control samples from a selected urban nonrunning population and a remote rural population, respectively. The mean blood lead levels obtained were 20.1 micrograms/dl, 51.9 micrograms/dl, 45.8 micrograms/dl, and 53.00 micrograms/dl for the rural trainers, urban trainers, Two Oceans pre-race, and Two Oceans post-race samples, respectively. The mean level for the selected urban control was 9.7 micrograms/dl. The results suggest that road runners are exposed to increased lead inhalation and that atmospheric lead levels differ in urban and rural areas of South Africa.