Study of environmental pollutants in and around the city of Lahore. I. Determination of lead in blood of various population groups.

Lead concentrations in 102 blood samples collected from seven different population groups living in and around the city of Lahore were determined. Gender differences in blood lead were statistically insignificant for normal males and normal females and also for male and female cancer patients. The differences between exposed male industrial workers and exposed females were statistically significant (P = 0.05). No correlation was observed between age and blood lead for normal males and cancer patients of both sexes. Blood lead levels in the male groups were generally higher than in the corresponding female groups. Much higher blood lead concentrations for cancer patients of both sexes, i.e. 69.63 microgram dl-1 for males and 52.41 microgram dl-1 for females, were observed.