[Biological levels of lead in residents of Poland].

The author discussed current data on sources of the environmental exposure to lead, health effects of exposure in adults and children as well as recommended admissible concentrations of lead in blood. The review of studies on biological monitoring of exposure to lead in Poland permits to state that the results of measurements of Pb-B concentrations performed by laboratories which did not participate in the inter-laboratory programme of quality assurance were often overestimated evoking public concern. The outcome of investigations carried out by the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz and other institutions which are provided with appropriate analytical equipment, tested under the inter-laboratory programme of quality assurance gives the ground for a hypothesis that an excessive environmental exposure to lead in Poland may result only from industrial emission. The mean geometric lead blood concentrations in persons living in areas free from industrial emissions of lead range from 40 to 70 micrograms/l and they do not prove any potential hazard for adults. Exposure of children and pregnant women living in areas polluted with lead due to industrial emissions and where mean geometric Pb-B concentrations reach 100-170 micrograms/l may create a significant problem. The results obtained emphasize the need for targetted surveillance aimed at identifying areas of excessive lead contamination, measurements of Pb-B concentrations in populations living in those areas and necessary preventive measurements. Collection of blood samples and measurements of lead levels should be performed only by those laboratories which satisfy necessary requirements.