Blood lead levels based on smoking status and COPD

Background: Lead exposure is a resurgent environmental issue globally. Smoking can be a source of lead exposure although the majority of lead poisonings originate from workplace exposures. We attempted to investigate the blood lead levels based on COPD and smoking status and the independent association between elevated blood lead levels and clinical variables. Methods: Our data were collected from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) IV (n= 9744 in 2008, n= 10533 in 2009), V (n = 8518 in 2011), and VI (n = 8018 in 2013). Blood lead levels were analyzed based on clinical variables. Multivariate linear regression analyses were done to find variables associated with elevated blood lead levels. Results: Blood lead levels were higher in males, older age group, smokers, COPD, lower education group, and lower income group (p Conclusion: Smoking status and education level along with old age and male gender were independently associated with higher blood lead levels, however COPD was not, suggesting higher blood lead level in COPD should be attributed to other correlated clinical factors.