The German Environmental Survey 1990/1992 (GerES II): reference concentrations of selected environmental pollutants in blood, urine, hair, house dust, drinking water and indoor air

The German Environmental Survey (GerES) is a large-scale, representative po pulation study that has been carried out three times up to now with a time interval of about 7 years. GerES I was performed in 1985/1986, GerES IIa in 1990/1991 in West Germany, and GerES IIb in 1991/1992 in East Germany the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). In GerES II, blood, urine, and sca lp hair samples of 4021 adults aged 25-69 years and of 736 children aged 6- 14 years were analysed as well as environmental samples (house dust, drinki ng water, indoor and personal air, diet). Characteristics of the frequency distributions of the substances analysed in the different media were calcul ated. The geometric mean (Chi) for lead, cadmium, and mercury in the blood of adults amounted to 45.3, 0.36, and 0.51 mug/l, respectively. The corresp onding values of arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in urine acre 6.3, 0.29, and 0.54 mug/l, respectively The concentrations of lead in blood, cadmium in b lood and urine, and mercury in blood are low er in children than in adults. The GM of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in urine of adults was 2.67 mug/l and in urine of children, 4.15 mug/l. These results of GerES II were compared wit h the so-called HBM values which represent hearth-based exposure guidelines and have been defined by the Human Biomonitoring Commission (HBC) of the F ederal Environmental Agency, inter alia for lead in blood, cadmium in urine , mercury in blood and urine, and PCP in urine. They also provided a sound basis for the setting of reference values to describe the status of the Ger man population. A total of 1.8% and 0.6% of the German females in child-bea ring age had a level of lead in blood higher than HBM-1 (100 mug/l) and HBM -II (150 mug/l), respectively. One percent of the children had a blood lead level above HBM-1. House dust and drinking water were analysed to characte rise exposure in the domestic environment. Arsenic, cadmium, and lead depos ition in homes amounted to 5.4 ng/(m(2) day), 11.7 ng/(m(2) day), and 0.29 mug/ (m(2) day), respectively. In the content of vacuum cleaner bags, conce ntrations were 2.1, 0.9, and 5.9 mug/g. PCP, lindane and permethrin could b e detected in the house dust of most German households. The pollutant load of the drinking water is significantly influenced by the corrosion of pipe materials and fittings. The new EC limit value of 10 mug/l for lead was exc eeded in 7.7% of the first draw samples. The relatively high percentage (14 %) of samples from East Germany that exceeded the current German guideline value of 0.1 ppm in indoor air may be explained by the widespread use of co ntaminated particleboard in the former GDR.