LEAD AND CADMIUM CONCENTRATIONS IN AUTOPSY TISSUES OF INHABITANTS OF TARRAGONA-PROVINCE, SPAIN

Lead and cadmium concentrations in kidney, liver, lung, bone and brain were determined in 87 deceased persons, who at the time of death had lived in an industrial or in a rural area of Tarragona Province (NE Sp ain). The influence of age, sex, and drinking and smoking habits was a lso investigated. The highest lead values were found in bone, while th e highest levels of cadmium were detected in kidney. The concentration s of both metals increased with age, with a ''peak concentration'' in the age decade 50 to 59 years, or 40 to 49 years for lead and cadmium respectively. No significant differences in lead concentrations in bon e were observed in relation to the remaining variables evaluated. On t he other hand, renal cadmium levels in males significantly exceeded th ose of females, whereas the content of cadmium in kidney and lung incr eased with the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. In contrast, the pl ace of residence has no influence on kidney cadmium values.