Blood lead levels in the adult population living in France the French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS 2006–2007)

Abstract

Background: The French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) was conducted in order to describe food consumption and levels of various biomarkers in the general population. In this paper, we aimed to assess the distribution of blood lead levels (BLL) in the adult population living in France. Method: ENNS was a cross-sectional survey carried out in the general population. Participants (18–74 years of age) were sampled using a three-stage probability design stratified by geographical areas and degrees of urbanization. Collected data included biochemical samples, anthropometric measurements, socio-demographic characteristics, and environmental and occupational exposure. Results: In 2006/2007, 2029 adults were included in the survey on lead. The blood lead geometric mean (GM) in the population living in France was 25.7 μg/L [24.9–26.5]. The overall prevalence of elevated BLL (>100 μg/L) was 1.7% [1.1–2.3%]. Levels were significantly higher in males than in females, and increased with age, smoking status and alcohol consumption. Other factors significantly associated with BLL were leisure activities, occupational category, age of housing unit, birth place and shellfish/crustacean consumption. Conclusion: For the first time a survey provides national estimates of BLL for the adult population in France. Comparison with results from a previous study among men aged 18–28 years showed that the GM dropped more than 60% in the last 10 years. The distribution of BLL in France was quite similar to that observed in other European countries. Keywords: Human biomonitoring, Blood, Lead, Exposure, Population study