Abstract

The effect of lead on blood pressure is still controversial in spite of the numerous studies which have been conducted in the recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exposure to lead on blood pressure among workers in a battery recycling factoiy in Iran in 2008. In this cross sectional study, 165 male workers were enrolled. Their blood pressure, blood lead level and chelatable blood lead were measured for all subjects. Mean age of the participants was 39.41 ±7.23 years. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 121,57±7.23 and 81.84±8.73 mmHg, respectively. Blood lead level rangedfrom 15.6 to 85.6 μg dL -1 with a mean level of 44.04±16.05 μg dL -1. There was no significant difference in blood pressure between subgroups with different blood lead levels. After adjusting for potential confounders (age, work duration, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, hemoglobin, creatinine, smoking and BMI) by multiple regression analysis, a borderline significant (p = 0.057) association was found between systolic blood pressure and blood lead concentration. There was no association between diastolic blood pressure and blood lead. Body mass index and smoking were positive predictors of blood pressure. Hemoglobin concentration and cholesterol were predictors of diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure showed an increase of 4 mmHg in patients with higher chelatable lead levels (p = 0.05). Present study showed that blood lead might not serve as a good predictor of blood pressure changes and there was no statistically significant association between blood lead and blood pressure. Present finding added to existing body of knowledge that blood lead possibly does not affect blood pressure. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information.