Document KGy602kN6Kv35rOeVEbpjRvGX

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. EDEN AND BETHESDA AVENUES KETTERING LABORATORY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH University of Cincinnati pincinnati, Ohio 45219 - November 25, 1970 Subcommittee on surveillance of Population Lead Levels c/o Dr. Robert J.M. Horton Health Effects Research Program National Air Pollution Control Administration 411 West Chapel Hill Street ' _ Durham, North Carolina 27701 Gentlemans Although it had been agreed.at our meeting of October 8f 1970, that "Seven-City" data were to remain unpublished at this time, sub sequent communications between members of the Subcommittee led to the release of data to the California Air Resources Board. At hearings before the Board on November 9> the-Laboratory provided: 1) the annual lead and particulate averages for each Los Angeles site-, ,2) -the lead average at each of our other sites for which there is an associated population study group, and 3) the blood lead levels, uncorrected, for each of these groups. The air levels, blood levels, and fecal lead levels are.presented in Table I, The following comments are warranted: 1) the current air sampling is'obviously riot completed, and the statements are based on only those samples which have analyzed, 2) the fecal samples represent only a 10-day period out of the year, 3) one Los Alamos and one okeana metabolic donor was excluded from the group. The Okeana donor excreted more than three times as much lead as did all the other 19 donors together; the Los Alamos donor excreted almost as much lead over 10 days as did all the other 19 women combined in this series. Significant wild game intake was apparently responsible for high lead excretion in Los Alamos, and the okeana donor utilized a galvanized metal cistern for her water supply. - These metabolic data, while not examined statistically, at least Ifhow that blood lead levels in Los Alamos, for example, are not what they are because of a high dietary lead level. At the other end of the spectrum, the Pasadena blood lead levels are not "low" because of low dietary lead which might have "made up for" a high atmospheric lead level. Actually a case could be made for associating the blood lead levels with the dietary lead intake.. Those who are mathematically in clined will eventually enjoy manipulating these numbers. N36953 DUP050315156 Page 2 Subcommittee on surveillance Durham/ North Carolina November 25/ 1970 ' At the California hearings the point was raised that women who live primarily indoors are not. exposed to the atmospheres being examined, i.e., walls and ventilation systems filter out the general neighborhood lead. We have some rather casual data on this point which suggest that indoor air levels are approximately 70% of outdoor air levels, although in some cases indoor levels have been higher than those outdoors. We believe that it would be a relatively simple matter to verify this point through simultaneous indoor-outdoor sampling under various circumstances. If this is not necessary because of work that some of you may have done or know about, please let. me know. At the October meeting there was a request for the heights of each station, we have not measured the heights at,this time, hut provide an estimate in Table II. These estimates will be verified by measure ment when the stations are taken down in the spring. Blood and metabolic sampling in Chicago went smoothlyi Lombard N=208; Bridgeport N=148. All air -sampling stations and collections are proceeding without difficulty. The Washington problems have been corrected through the recruitment of a new monitor, who is doing a faithful and accurate job. We are, nevertheless, trying to determine the whereabouts of Washington samples from mid-July through September. The ex-monitor tells us that he put these samples in the mail at various times but they seem never to have arrived in Cincinnati* This is a little odd since we have never had trouble with loss of any other samples, and the Washington material would fill six or eight mailing tubes, none of which we have seen. if these samples are' not received, we have the choice of running through summer 1971 or leaving out data for 2 1/2 summer months, i have some bias in favor of the second alter native. At our last meeting the point was again raised that a population examined in 1961 -62 should be re-examined this year. We indicated that Philadelphia and Cincinnati police officers who had been sampled before would be contacted again for the same purpose. The question was raised as to whether or not the Philadelphia suburban data from 1961-62 might be reasonably compared with some of the more recent material from that city. We have looked over the home addresses of 87 persons, men, women, and children, who were classified as Philadelphia suburban in 1961. These people live in the Pennypack Park section of northeastern Philadelphia, and do not seem directly comparable to any groups which we have studied. Their homes Eire within the city limits, and the atmosphere reflects movement of air from the center of the city. Site 15 is located, as you will recall, at the far Side of a small shopping area and playground in the Pennypack area, hut all of the people sampled lived to the west of this instrument, up to three miles away. DUP050315157 Page 3 Subcommittee on Surveillance Durham, North Carolina November 25, 1970 - Whether or not any useful comparisons with this group are possible is a discussable point; After the first of the year we anticipate having improved access to statistical manpower and should be able to examine age, smoking, and analytical methods in a more satisfactory manner. DBTipab Associate Director DUP05031 5158 TABLE I Selected Air, Blood, and Fecal Lead Levels AIR JiG/M.3 Los Alamos Okeana Port Washington Ardmore Washington Rittenhouse Sq. Greenwich Vil. Pasadena 0.17 0.32 1.04 X X5 1.50 1.67 2.26 3.39 N BLOOD, /iG/100g Feces, iftg/10d. 204 166 203 156 224 137 142 209 15.4 15.8 15.4 ' 18.0 19.2 20.6 16. 5 17.6 1.12 0.98 1.15 1.25 1.34 (from Ardmore) (from port Washington) 1. 21 N36953.01 DUP050315159 i-: JTt .:7:-...!...[:rrr'ri?F:- ao ^ 'E .ASAVF.M . - C t i - Z O ^ ) DUP050315160  TABLE II Estimated Height Above Ground Of Base Of Station (feet) Houston Site 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 0 feet 40 14 20 0 0 0 FD Cullen Health Dept. Cathedral Coliseum FD Market FD Settegast Latexa Dr. Chicago J - Site 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 36 feet 36 24 24 110 52 14 40 40 Fenger High School Hyde. Park High School Lindblam High School Benton House GSA Austin High School Hammerschmidt (Lombard) Lakeview High School Taft High School Washington Site 70 71 72 73 74 75 .76 77 - -- 16 feet 72 0 36 0 0 0 0 ' Health Dept. (Arlington) Municipal Building CAMP Nevel Thomas Swiss Jarrett Farm ...- Children's Conv. Hosp. Bethesda Hew York Site 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 48 Bronx High School 48 121st St. Lab. 48 .Jackson High School 60 Brooklyn College 40 northern Disp. 16 st. Anne (S.I.) 0 Mohlenhoff (S.I.) 24 South Salem (p.w.) 20 Daly School (P.W.) N36953.02 DUP050315161