Assessment of exposure to lead of the general population in the French community through biological monitoring.

The aim of the council directive of 29 March 1977 of the European Community (1) is the screening for non-work-related lead exposure levels in the general populations of European (member) countries. In France, such testing was carried out in eight metropolitan areas (having more than 500,000 inhabitants), another eight "critical" areas surrounding industrial emission sources and one area (Vosges) having a high level of lead contamination in the water. In view of the reference values (maximum 35 micrograms/dl in an individual blood sample) adopted by the directive, the situation is most serious in the area where the exposure is due to the lead contamination in the water. Individuals here run a seven times greater risk of exceeding the 35 micrograms/dl blood-lead limit relative to urban populations where the lead comes mostly from vehicle emissions into the atmosphere (i.e. 9.3% of the blood-lead values of the Vosgian sample exceed 35 micrograms/dl; 3.5% for the industrial complexes which deal with lead and 1.4% for the urban zone). While these vehicle exhausts are the subject of much current concern, in perspective, the problem of lead pipe contaminated drinking water appears to be of far greater importance.