Unleaded gasoline use and lead level change in human blood

Rapid economic development and industrialization has been accompanied by an increase of energy consumption and environmental pollution. The consumption of gasoline has increased in general. However, the use of leaded gasoline has continuously decreased since 1988 in Korea. The Health Surveillance Project was launched in Korea in 1980, which questioned symptoms based on questionnaires and medical examinations from residents in the vicinity of 13 industrial areas and 2 non-industrial areas. 10,598 persons living in these 15 areas had medical checkups and donated their blood for heavy metal analysis from 1980 to 2000 through this project. Especially, the lead levels in participants’ blood of these areas were determined and monitored. Finally 4,967 samples in target areas were used to review the trend of lead level in blood in this paper. Ranges of lead concentrations by areas were from 15.2 to 21.0 μg/dL in 1981 and 22.3 to 34.3 μg/dL in 1988, but were 8.8 to 11.1 μg/dL in 1992 and 4.4 to 4.8 μg/dL in 1995. The consumption of leaded gasoline was at a peak in 1988. Blood lead level showed a very close relationship with the consumption rate of leaded gasoline in the change pattern (p<0.01) and showed a clear declining trend since the use of unleaded gasoline, especially from 1988, the year of Seoul Olympic game (ex, the blood lead levels were 15.2 μg/dL in 1981, 20.2 μg/dL in 1985, 24.3 μg/dL in 1988 and 3.9 μg/dL in 1993 in Yochon area). China also showed an decreasing trend of blood lead levels of the general population since the end of 1990s, when lead free gasoline was provided to China.