PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to reveal whether people living in the villages Zmeyovo and Borilovo (where the highest rates of excessive and borderline heavy metal concentrations in plants had previously been registered) are at higher risk of combined exposure to lead, cadmium and nickel. METHODS: Blood levels of these heavy metals were studied in groups of 17 nonsmokers (9 females and 8 males) from each of the studied villages, and in a control group from a remote mountain village by atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: The mean blood levels of lead (56.48 and 19.93 μg/dL) and cadmium (3.36 and 0.95 μg/L) for Zmeyovo and Borilovo respectively were significantly higher than those in the control group. Mean nickel blood concentration was higher than controls for Zmeyovo only (2.17 μg/dL). Statistically significant correlations among blood levels of lead, cadmium and nickel were found, which suggested combined exposure. The mean concentrations of all the heavy metals studied were relatively higher than available data for the general population in Europe. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed an increased exposure to heavy metals among residents of the region. Implementation of screening programs, especially for children and young adults, is therefore advised.

Supplying sufficient quantities of safe drinking water to citizens is one of the most important tasks of each country. According to national reports drinking water supplied to Bulgarian villages is not sufficiently controlled. PURPOSE: To determine whether the village residents of Stara Zagora municipality are satisfied with the quantity and quality of the supplied drinking water. METHODS: Households in 46 villages were interviewed for the study. RESULTS: The survey revealed that 87% of respondents believed they're getting enough water, but 63% were not satisfied with its quality. For 74% of the respondents water consumption corresponded to the national average (2-4 m 3 per person per month). The main complaints concerning water quality were of unpleasant taste, smell of chlorine and high hardness. Due to the poor quality of drinking water 80% of respondents reported that they occasionally had to buy bottled water. A worrying fact was that 41% used tap water for watering their garden, thus wasting drinking water resources. CONCLUSIONS: The village residents in Stara Zagora municipality are partly satisfied with the quality of drinking water. It is necessary, however, to take significant measures to strengthen the quality control performed by water supply companies and supervisory authorities, especially in view of the increased cases of heavy rains and floods in the recent months.