A regional comparison of children’s blood cadmium, lead, and mercury in rural, urban and industrial areas of six European countries, and China, Ecuador, and Morocco

Abstract

Lead affects the brain, especially its development. Associations between lead and intelligence and/or school performance have been found even at very low exposure levels, reflected by blood-lead concentrations [2,3,5]. For cadmium, recent studies suggest that the brain, the kidney and skeleton is affected [6,7]. No safe level INTRODUCTIONCadmium, lead, and mercury are classic toxic elements. Exposure occurs through ingestion and/or inhalation, which, in turn, may depend on where we live [1][2][3][4][5]. For example, urban and rural areas may differ, and local contamination, industrial or other, can potentially affect exposure.