Table 2.
Mean metal concentrations among study participants
| Heavy metal | Sex | GM (GSD) | Range (min–max) | 95th percentile | *2008 survey | **KoNEHS IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM(GSD) | GM | |||||
| Blood Pb (µg/dL) | Male | 2.18 (1.56) | 1.12–3.76 | 3.26 | – | – |
| Female | 1.86 (1.76) | 0.50–3.73 | 2.83 | – | – | |
| Total | 1.95 (1.69) | 0.50–3.76 | 2.93 | 4.14 (1.54) | 1.51* | |
| Blood Cd (µg/L) | Male | 1.90 (1.62) | 0.59–3.46 | 2.43 | – | – |
| Female | 3.12 (1.66) | 1.36–7.85 | 4.05 | – | – | |
| Total | 2.68 (1.72) | 0.59–7.85 | 3.68 | 2.72 (1.95) | 0.39* | |
| Urine Cd (µg/L) | Male | 2.18 (1.92) | 0.82–5.14 | 3.89 | – | – |
| Female | 4.55 (1.66) | 1.66–12.66 | 6.22 | – | – | |
| Total | 3.66 (1.90) | 0.82–12.66 | 5.31 | 2.64 (1.77) | 0.71** | |
| Urinary Total As (µg/L) | Male | 186.8 (3.73) | 5.1–725.0 | 318.3 | – | – |
| Female | 157.5 (2.55) | 20.0–1,755.3 | 240.8 | – | – | |
| Total | 166.7 (2.84) | 5.1–1,755.3 | 285.0 | – | – | |
| iAs + MMA (µg/L) | Male | 1.11 (5.90) | 0.11–12.95 | 4.08 | – | – |
| Female | 0.94 (5.91) | 0.11–10.51 | 4.10 | – | – | |
| Total | 0.99 (6.10) | 0.11–12.95 | 4.08 | – |
GM geometric mean, GSD geometric standard deviation
*2008 survey (blood Pb, N = 562; urine Cd, N = 437; blood Cd, N = 557; urine As, N = 441)
*KoNEHS IV, Korean National Environmental Health Survey, 2018–2020
**KNHANES, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 2016–2018