Isotopic evidence of the persistent dominance of blood lead concentrations by previous gasoline lead emissions in Yerevan, Armenia

Recent (1999) blood lead (PbB) isotopic compositions (n=17) of males and females in Yerevan, Armenia, indicate that previous emissions of leaded gasoline still dominate the populaceʹs PbB concentrations 2 years after the countryʹs apparent de facto elimination of leaded gasoline in Armenia. The range of PbB isotopic compositions overlaps those of air and near-road surface soils in Yerevan, and the averages of those isotopic compositions in blood (208Pb/207Pb=2.442; 206Pb/207Pb=1.158) and near-road soils (208Pb/207Pb=2.442; 206Pb/207Pb=1.157) are indistinguishable. Using a proxy for historic leaded-gasoline emissions in Armenia, these analyses suggest that leaded gasoline was, is, and will continue to be via the resuspension of lead-bound soils contaminated by previous depositions from leaded-gasoline emissions, a relatively important source of industrial lead in both Yerevanʹs atmosphere and its populace. However, the level of lead contamination in the Armenian populace, based on the PbB geometric mean of 4.0 μg/dL (n=49) measured in this initial survey, appears to be much lower than recently proposed by the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection.