[Comparison of the body burden of the population of Leipzig and Munich with the heavy metals cadmium, lead and mercury--a study of human organ samples].

In the former GDR it was almost impossible to perform studies on environmental pollution. Therefore, a short time after the opening of the German interior border the authors started an investigation on the heavy metal burden of humans in the former District of Leipzig (Saxonia). In 1990/91 tissues from 57 deceased were collected from this region. The concentrations of cadmium were determined in specimens from the liver and renal cortex, of mercury in liver, renal cortex and grey matter of the cerebrum and of lead in samples of the pelvic bone and the cortical part of the femur. After sample pretreatment, the heavy metal concentrations were determined by GF-AAS or CV-AAS. The results were compared with studies recently performed by the authors in the region of Munich (southern Bavaria, FRG) and with values from the literature. It was found that the burden with cadmium was similar in both regions, whereas on the average, the bone lead concentrations in Leipzig were 10 times (!) higher than in Munich. Considering dental amalgam as main factor for the burdening with inorganic mercury, the mercury concentrations in the liver and the renal cortex were of the same order of magnitude in both regions. In contrast to this, significantly higher mercury concentrations were found in the brain samples from Leipzig than from Munich. Possible negative health effects of these elevated lead and mercury burden in the Leipzig area are discussed.