[The use of human dental enamel as an indicator of the extent of environmental pollution].

Acid etch surface enamel microbiopsies were taken from permanent teeth of schoolchildren and analyzed for lead and cadmium using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. A comparison concerning these heavy metals was made between children (7 and 12 years) from a school close to a non-ferrous metal plant and children from the same age group from a school situated near the same plant but in a less polluted zone. The lead concentrations in enamel biopsies from the first group were significantly higher than those from the second group. Cadmium shows the same trend but on a much lower level. A significant correlation between lead and cadmium was also found in both groups.