Blood cadmium concentration in the population of the Rabat area, Morocco

Blood cadmium concentrations were determined in 377 adults, 297 men and 80 women, randomly selected from the Rabat Transfusion Center, Morocco. The me an blood cadmium level was 1.1+/-0.7 mug/l, which was higher than in French subjects, with an average of 0.7+/-0.6 mug/l. In Moroccan people, the mean blood cadmium concentration of men, 1.1+/-0.8 mug/l, was significantly hig her than that of women, 0.8+/-0.4 mug/l, whereas in the French people teste d, there was no statistically significant difference between men and women. In Morocco, employment of men and the smoking habits of men and women were linked to an increase of blood cadmium levels. The significantly higher le vel observed in men could be due to a higher percentage of men who were smo kers and to professional activity leading to increased exposure to cadmium. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.