Study of lead and cadmium content of surface enamel of schoolchildren from an industrial area in Belgium

Abstract - The amount of lead and cadmium was determined in surface enamelfrom permanent teeth of schoolchildren by means of an acid etch surface enamelmicrobiopsy method. Lead and cadmium levels were calculated on the amount ofetched enamel. A comparison of the concentrations of these heavy metals was madebetween children (7 and 11 yr) from a school close to a non-ferrous metal plantand children from the same age group from a school situated nearby the same plantbut in a zone polluted to a lesser degree. The lead concentrations in enamel biopsiesfrom 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 correlationbetween lead and cadmium was also found in both groups.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe