[Biological monitoring in the area around a steel mill]

On the basis of measurements of dust sediment samples, carried out from 1984 to 1988 in the environment of trace element emitting plants and industrial centers of the former GDR, the exposure of the people in the region of the ferrometallurgical plant Brandenburg (with 12 Siemens Martin furnaces) had been investigated. Samples of hair, urine and blood of 170 men and children had been taken for this investigation. For a correct assessment of the exposition we have also measured the dust in flats. In comparison to persons from clean regions higher concentration level of Cu and Mn in hair, Cd in urine and Pb in blood were found in the population group living near to the emittent. But these concentration levels have not yet reached an acute danger of inhabitants of the investigated industrial centre. The limited increase of heavy metal concentration is also a consequence of the information of the inhabitants.