House dust as possible route of environmental exposure to cadmium and lead in the adult general population

Contaminated soil particles and food are established routes of exposure. We investigated the relations between biomarkers of exposure to cadmium and lead, and the metal loading rates in house dust in the adult residents of an area with a soil cadmium concentration of ⩾3 mg/kg ( n = 268 ) and a reference area ( n = 205 ). We determined the metal concentrations in house dust allowed to settle for 3 months in Petri dishes placed in the participants’ bedrooms. The continuously distributed vegetable index was the first principal component derived from the metal concentrations in six different vegetables. The biomarkers of exposure (blood cadmium 9.2 vs. 6.2 nmol/L; 24-h urinary cadmium 10.5 vs. 7.0 nmol; blood lead 0.31 vs. 0.24 μmol/L), the loading rates of cadmium and lead in house dust (0.29 vs. 0.12 and 7.52 vs. 3.62 ng/cm 2/92 days), and the vegetable indexes (0.31 vs. −0.44 and 0.13 vs. −0.29 standardized units) were significantly higher in the contaminated area. A two-fold increase in the metal loading rate in house dust was associated with increases ( P < 0.001 ) in blood cadmium (+2.3%), 24-h urinary cadmium (+3.0%), and blood lead (+2.0%), independent of the vegetable index and other covariates. The estimated effect sizes on the biomarkers of internal exposure were three times greater for house dust than vegetables. In conclusion, in the adult population, house dust is potentially an important route of exposure to heavy metals in areas with contaminated soils, and should be incorporated in the assessment of health risks.