The German Environmental Survey 1990/1992 (GerES II): cadmium in blood, urine and hair of adults and children

As a follow-up of an earlier population study carried out in West Germany in 1985/1986 (GerES I), a nationwide Environmental Survey was conducted in Germany in 1990-1992 (GerES II). It was the aim of these studies to obtain representative data on the population's body burden and the quality of their indoor environment and immediate surroundings. The present paper reports on cadmium levels in blood, urine and hair of 4021 adults aged 25-69 and 736 children aged 6-14. The statistical analysis included both descriptive and inferential methods. The data were classified according to social factors, lifestyle characteristics, and environmental exposures. Moreover, regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of cadmium concentrations in the types of sample studied. Active cigarette smoking was found to be dominant in affecting blood and urine cadmium levels in adults, but less important for cadmium levels in hair. Age and creatinine level in urine were additional important factors influencing the cadmium concentration in urine, especially in women. Environmental and occupational exposures to cadmium played only a minor role in the exposure models for German adults. The cadmium concentration in blood and urine was generally lower in children than in adults, while no significant difference for cadmium in hair could be detected. The cadmium concentrations in all three samples were significantly higher in East German children than in West German children.