LEAD IN PRIMARY TEETH FROM NORWAY - CHANGES IN LEAD LEVELS FROM THE 1970S TO THE 1990S

Lead is one of the most important and widely distributed pollutants in the environment. In the human population children are particularly at risk. Local dentists in all 19 counties in Norway collected 2746 prim ary teeth from 1990 to 1994. Tooth substance from whole, ground teeth were analyzed for lead concentration by electrothermal atomic absorpti on spectrophotometry. The geometrical mean for the entire material was 1.27 mu g lead/g tooth substance (S.D. 1.87). The mean lead levels in each of the counties were significantly lower than those obtained in a corresponding study in the 1970s. Two counties, Oslo and Vest-Agder, had significantly higher lead levels than the majority of the other c ounties. Tooth lead concentration and atmospheric deposition of lead i n the same areas were significantly and positively correlated, as show n by analysis of naturally growing moss. We conclude that lead concent rations in primary teeth from children in Norway have been reduced by approx. 50% from the 1970s to the 1990s. The reduction probably reflec ts a decrease in the environmental lead burden in Norway. (C) 1997 Els evier Science B.V.