Influence of smoking and alcohol consumption on blood lead levels

Blood lead levels were determined in 88% of all men and women born in 1936 and residing in four suburbs of Copenhagen, i.e., 504 men and 548 women. Smoking habits and alcohol consumption were assessed by interview and were found to be independent of other indicators of lead exposure. Increased blood lead levels of smokers could, for the most part, be explained by augmented alcohol intake as indicated by the partial correlation coefficient and by the relationship between alcohol consumption and lead levels in non-smokers. Further, smoking contributed little to the blood lead levels of individuals who did not consume any alcohol. A multivariate analysis indicated that one unit of alcohol (1.35 cl pure ethanol) per day might contribute 0.5-1.0 microgram lead/100 ml blood. No significant difference was found between the influence of beer, wine, and hard liquor.