Blood Lead Monitoring in a Former Mining Area in Euskirchen, Germany—Volunteers across the Entire Population

Abstract

After centuries of mining in the district of Euskirchen, that is, in the communities of Mechernich and Kall, the lead concentration in the soil remains high, often exceeding regulatory guidelines. To clarify the lead body burden among residents in the region, a human biomonitoring study on a voluntary basis was initiated in which the blood lead level (BLL) was assessed. A questionnaire was distributed to evaluate lead exposure routes and confounders. Overall, 506 volunteers participated in the study, of whom 7.5% were children and adolescents, 71.9% were adults from 18 to 69 years, and 19.4% were residents 70 years or older. While the BLLs in the adult population were inconspicuous, among the children and adolescents investigated, 16.7% of the children between 3 and 17 years had BLLs above the recently revised German reference values for BLL in children. These results point towards a higher lead exposure in children living in the region. The hierarchical regression analysis based on the BLL and the questionnaire revealed the significant influence of the factors age, sex, smoking, construction age of the real estate, occupancy, and intensive contact with soil on the BLL. Measures to reduce lead exposure include a focus on improved personal and domestic hygiene to minimize lead intake.