Pilot survey on blood lead levels in non-occupationally exposed workers at a CDC in Vietnam using the GF-AAS technique

Tóm tắt

 Objective: The present study aimed to develop an analytical method for detecting trace amounts to elevated levels of lead in human blood using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (GF-AAS) technique and to apply this method in evaluating blood lead levels (BLLs) of non-occupationally exposed workers at a CDC in Vietnam in 2023.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was applied. Validation of a GF-AAS method was performed on the basis of the Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC) guidelines, and BLLs of 30 nonoccupationally exposed workers were measured.

Results: The results showed that all validation parameters of the analytical method in this study meet the requirements of the Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Evaluation of BLLs of nonoccupationally exposed workers found that most workers has lead in their blood with the proportion of 93.0%. The min and max value of BLLs was in the range of 0 to 2.693 µg/dL. There was 13.3% of workers with the BLLs > 5.0 µg/dL, which is the level used for indicating an elevated BLL for surveillance purposes.

Conclusions: The GF-AAS method has both high accuracy and precision and meets the AOAC requirements for analysis of BLLs. The measured BLLs of non-occupationally exposed workers suggests that surveillance purposes for a large population in Vietnam are needed for health risk assessment in the future.