ABSTRACT
We investigated chronic incorporation of metals in individuals from poor families, living in a small, restrict and allegedly contaminated area in São Paulo city, the surroundings of the Guarapiranga dam, responsible for water supply to 25% of the city population. A total of 59 teeth from individuals 7 to 60 years old were collected. The average concentrations of Pb, Cd, Fe, Zn, Mn, Ni and Cr were determined with an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The concentrations of all metals as function of the individuals' age exhibited a remarkable similarity: peaks between 7 and 10 years and sharply decreasing at higher ages, which could be attributed to alimentary habits and persistence to metals exposure all along the individuals' life span. From all the measured metals, lead and cadmium were a matter of much more concern since their measured values are close to the upper limits of the world wide averages.
Subject(s)
Environmental Health/methods , Environmental Pollutants/metabolism , Environmental Pollution/analysis , Metals/metabolism , Tooth/chemistry , Adolescent , Adult , Brazil , Child , Humans , Middle Aged , Spectrophotometry, Atomic , Young AdultABSTRACT
Levels of iron, copper, zinc and lead were determined in sediments and soft tissue of the oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae collected from Guacanayabo Gulf, Cuba. Metal-to-Iron ratio in sediments shows an average enrichment for Cu (5,1), Pb (11,7) and Zn (1,3) in the last 20 years. Metal concentrations found in soft tissue of C. rhizophorae are site dependent. The average biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) obtained for Fe, Cu and Pb are less than unity in all cases, indicating that only a little fraction of Cu and Pb in the sediments is bioavailable, independently of their enrichments. Zinc has an average BSAF value of 2.4 and may represent a serious impact in the area. The concentrations of zinc and copper in some of the oysters are above typical public health recommended limits.
