#0028 Does low lead exposure affect blood pressure and hypertension?
The Link between Low Lead Levels and Blood Pressure in Lead-Exposed Workers
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common condition affecting about a billion people worldwide, and more than 11 million adults in the Republic of Korea. Lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking, poor diet, stress, and exposure to heavy metals like lead are linked with hypertension. As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blood lead levels (BLLs) of 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood or lower are an acceptable limit for children. However, it is unknown whether this limit is acceptable for adults and whether BLLs indeed are causative factors of hypertension.
We investigated whether BLLs lower than the cut-off are linked to hypertension in Korean adult men exposed to lead at work. In the Republic of Korea, workers exposed to lead are required to undergo an annual specialized medical check-up (ASMC). We retrospectively analyzed the ASMC data of 7,341 male workers collected between 2000 and 2004.
We found that even at BLLs lower than the current occupational standards, lead exposure adversely affected blood pressure. BLLs as low as 6.8 micrograms per deciliter of blood were associated with hypertension in Korean men. Multiple studies have shown that BLLs higher than 5 micrograms per deciliter affect the brain and liver as well. Therefore, the current cut-off of 10 micrograms per deciliter for children is too high for adults.
Further studies that analyze the link between low lead levels and hypertension need to be conducted. These studies should also consider other factors like lifestyle-related factors, socio-economic status, and family history of hypertension. Regulatory and public health measures need to be revised to ensure that Korean workers are protected even from low levels of lead exposure, and that the acceptable lead exposure standards are reduced.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1348-9585.12107
Title of the paper:
Does low lead exposure affect blood pressure and hypertension?
Authors:
Min Gi Kim, Young Wook Kim, Yeon-Soon Ahn
