As part of the Swiss Health Study – pilot phase, human biomonitoring (HBM) was carried out on 789 healthy adults (aged 20 to 69) residing in the cantons of Bern or Vaud. For the pilot study, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and 23 other chemical elements (including arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd)) were analysed in blood samples (whole blood) by the Centre Universitaire Romand de Médecine Légale (CURML).
Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Phase pilote de l’étude suisse sur la santé. Résultats de la biosurveillance humaine (Human biomonitoring HBM). 2023.
Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Pilotphase der Schweizer. Gesundheitsstudie Ergebnisse des Humanbiomonitoring (HBM). 2023.
If lead ammunition is used in a shooting range or facility, exposure to lead is possible, which is hazardous to health. Lead can have negative effects on the blood, nervous system, kidneys or gastrointestinal system.
C. Bosshard and C. Pletscher. SUVA. Bleibelastung in Raumschiessanlagen (Factsheet) / Exposition au plomb dans les installations de tir (factsheet) / Esposizione al piombo negli impianti di tiro indoor (Factsheet). 2013.
Health policy measures such as the ban on leaded fuels and paints, the replacement of lead pipes, the control of consumer goods, and the regulation of industrial emissions have led to a significant reduction in blood lead levels in the population since the 1970s. The risk of exposure for children exists primarily in poorly controlled consumer goods and in homes with wall paint that still contains lead (problematic in the case of renovation without protective measures or damaged paint layers).
N. Jundt Herman. Paediatrica 4/2018. Bleivergiftung beim Kind in der SchweizBleivergiftung beim Kind in der Schweiz / L’intoxication au plomb chez l’enfant en Suisse. 2018.
In the first MONICA survey, based on representative population samples, blood lead level was measured in the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg. Results based on 1774 lead measurements indicate a mean blood lead level significantly higher for males than females: 0.63 and 0.44 micromol/l. Work condition as measured by socio-professional category is only related to blood lead among males, while the living environment (community size) is only associated with female blood lead levels. Workers in agriculture and inhabitants of small communes have the lowest blood lead level. In addition, alcohol and tobacco consumption show a strong direct association with blood lead levels and are the two most important potentially confounding factors regarding the relation between blood lead levels and environmental lead pollution.
M. Rickenbach, V. Wietlisbach, M. Berode and M. Guillemin, Médecine Sociale et Préventive, 32, 87–90 (1987).