Comparison of lead levels with calcium, zinc and phosphorus levels in human blood

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine how the levels of calcium, phosphorus and zinc affected the levels of lead in the human blood. The levels of lead, calcium, zinc and phosphorus in human blood of subjects from Nairobi city centre, Nyamira town, Nairobi suburban and Nyamira rural, Kenya are presented in this article. The subjects in Nairobi City Centre had the highest mean blood lead (BPb) level of 29.9 + 16.91 µg/l, while Nyamira Rural subjects had the lowest mean of 24.20 + 7.07 µg/l. The mean lead level of the subjects was statistically significant between Nairobi City Centre and Nyamira Rural (p< 0.01). The mean calcium level was highest in Nairobi Suburban with a mean of 88.3 + 26.4 mg/l and lowest in Nyamira Town subjects with a mean of 68.4 + 26.5 mg/l. The mean zinc level was highest in Nyamira Town subjects with a mean of 1126.2 + 543.4 µg/l and lowest in Nairobi Suburban subjects with a mean of 806.4 + 189.9 µg/l. The mean phosphorus level was highest in Nyamira Town subjects with a mean of 36.0 + 17.4 mg/l while Nyamira Rural subjects had the lowest mean of 26.6 + 9.7 mg/dl. The mean levels of calcium, zinc and phosphorus for Nairobi City Centre significantly different from those of Nyamira Town, Nairobi Suburban and Nyamira Rural (p<0.01, df = 99). There was a negative correlation of the mean levels of lead and calcium, lead and zinc and lead and phosphorus for all the study areas.