RESUMEN
The lead content of hair in workers occupationally exposed was correlated with the blood lead concentration. Determinations of lead in blood and hair were performed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry in two exposed groups and a control group. A significant correlation was observed between the blood lead and hair lead concentrations, and a regression analysis showed an exponential accumulation of the lead content in hair, simultaneously with the increase of the values in blood. The colour of the hair and the age of the subject did not influence the lead accumulation in hair in the occupationally exposed subjects. The assessment of lead in hair is considered a useful screening test in estimating occupational exposure.
Asunto(s)
Exposición a Riesgos Ambientales , Cabello/análisis , Plomo/análisis , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Contaminantes Ocupacionales del Aire/análisis , Color del Cabello , Humanos , Plomo/efectos adversos , Plomo/sangre , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Medicina del TrabajoRESUMEN
Twenty-eight cases of lipoid proteinosis have been identified in a highly inbred White-Khoikhoi ("Hottentot") hybrid community living in Namaqualand, South Africa. The clinical manifestations of the disease are described, and a genetic analysis is presented. Genealogic studies have shown that the autosomal mutant gene for lipoid proteinosis was introduced into South Africa by a German settler and his sister in the mid-17th century. A great-grandson of that settler carried the gene to Namaqualand, where several generations of inbreeding have produced numerous affected homozygotes.