[Cadmium content of whole blood of inhabitants from various regions of Bavaria].

The blood Cd-concentration of 670 inhabitants of cities and rural districts (386 children, 175 men and 109 women) was measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The cadmium levels ranged from 0.3 micrograms Cd/1 to 7.3 micrograms Cd/1 blood with a median value of 0.9 micrograms Cd/1. Splitting up the whole collective according to the different living areas, the inhabitants of München, Neustadt and Nürnberg suburbs showed medians between 0.8 and 0.9 micrograms Cd/l blood. Higher medians (1.4 and 1.2 micrograms/l blood) have been calculated for the people living in Weiden and Nürnberg central area. The measured levels and medians correspond with the results of the newer national and international literature. There is no correlation of cadmium levels in blood and age or sex. The median for non smoking women and for children comes to 0.9 and for non smoking men to 0.8 micrograms Cd/l blood. The cadmium concentrations in blood are significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers. The group of nonsmokers shows a median of 0.9 micrograms Cd/l, for smokers consuming 20 cigarettes or less a day there is a median of 1.7 micrograms Cd/l while the group smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day has a median value of 2.50 micrograms Cd/l. Except one value all levels higher than 2.50 micrograms Cd/l belong to the group of smokers. The feasibility of blood cadmium analysis for biological screening of population with regard to environmental exposure is discussed.