Trends in blood lead levels in the population of the city of Bologna

The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood lead levels in a sample of Bologna's population, 12 years after the previous screening campaign carried out in 1984. The investigated sample was divided, as in 1984, by age, sex, occupational exposure and selected life style factors. The blood lead levels presented a sharp reduction in comparison with the values observed in the previous study. In 1996, the 50 degrees, 90 degrees and 98 degrees percentile of blood lead were 50 micrograms/l, 90 micrograms/l and 140 micrograms/l whereas in 1984 they were 129 micrograms/l, 242 micrograms/l and 329 micrograms/l, respectively. Possibly, this result is related to a lower level of environmental lead pollution as a result of the increasing use of unleaded gasoline in new cars.