Determinants of Cadmium Burden Levels in a Population of Children Living in the Vicinity of Nonferrous Smelters

This report covers part of the assessment of a site in northern France polluted by industrial metal emissions. Our objectives were to assess the cadmium burden in children aged 8 to 11 years and look for factors that affected it. A cross-sectional population-based study took place in 1996–1997 and included 400 children (200 in the metal-polluted area). The geometric mean of the blood cadmium (CdB) levels of children living on the polluted site was 0.51 μg/L (95% CI=[0.49–0.53]); that of the nonexposed children was 0.47 μg/L (95% CI=[0.45–0.49]) (P<0.01). The geometric mean of the urinary cadmium (CdU) levels of children living on the polluted site was 1.16 μg/g creatinine (95% CI=[1.01–1.34]); that of the nonexposed children was 0.99 μg/g creatinine (95% CI=[0.86–1.14]) (P=0.10). Mean CdB was higher among children within 4 km of a zinc smelter and consuming ≥500 ml of tap water daily (×1.34; 95% CI=[1.14–1.51]) compared with children living more than 4 km away and consuming <500 ml of tap water daily. Independently of this association, consumption of fish and shellfish (≥once a week vs