Archives of Public Health volume 68 , Article number: 30 Cite this article. Metrics details. Leaded gasoline and lead paints are still in use in the Democratic Republic of Congo but data on blood lead levels in the general population are not available. We evaluated the Pb impregnation in children and adults 0 - 70 years old in Kinshasa. Blood lead was measured by atomic absorption in a sample of healthy people men and women living in Kinshasa between May and June This study indicates a relatively important Pb impregnation of the Kinshasa population.
It demonstrates the existence of a major public health issue requiring corrective actions and the implementation of an appropriate regulation. Lead, which has been used by man for thousands of years because of its many useful phys-icochemical properties easy extraction, malleability, ductility, low fusion point, resistance to corrosion, low electrical conductivity, X-Ray absorption, Among populations likely to be particularly exposed, workers, employed to extract or use Pb in their professional activity, paid a heavy price because of the significant toxicity of Pb.
Important progress in technology and industrial hygiene allowed the situation to evolve. In the general environment, exposures are usually at lower levels but last over time. Moreover, the general population comprises people less or not informed of the risks, carrying risk factors related to age, pregnancy, pathological medical history or even genetic predispositions, without having the protection means from which workers usually benefit.
Lead represents a proven danger for health. It affects many systems and organs, mainly the central and peripheral nervous system, the hematopoietic system, the kidney and the male reproductive organs [ 1 β 3 ].
Lead and its inorganic compounds are considered as probable carcinogens for men Group 2A in IARC classification [ 4 ]. Lead accumulates in bone tissue and its elimination from the organism is extremely slow.
