Exposure of citizens in China and in Japan to lead and cadmium: a comparative study

To compare the background exposure of general urban populations to lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in China and Japan, 250 adult women in five Chinese cities and 72 women in three Japanese cities were surveyed by means of collection and analyses of food duplicate and blood samples. The results show that the geometric mean dietary Pb intake and Pb level in blood were significantly higher among Chinese (24.6 mu g/day and 45.8 ng/ml) than their counterparts in Japan (14.6 mu g/day and 32.2 ng/ml). In contrast, Cd exposures were significantly higher among Japanese women (34.1 mu g/day and 1.91 ng/ml) than among Chinese women (8.8 mu g/day and 0.61 ng/ml). Thus, the public health concern should be focussed on Pb exposure for Chinese population and Cd for Japanese people. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.