ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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FOR RELEASE, P.M.'s, FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 1971
EPA PUBLISHES INTERIM REPORT ON LEAD STUDY
Lead levels in the air have increased significantly over
the past seven years at several individual locations in
Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, according to a pre-
liminary summary of test data released today by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
Among a total of 19 sampling locations in these three cities
at which ambient lead levels were measured in 1961-62 and again in
1968-69, the later levels were higher at all but two sites. In
Cincinnati, increases ranged from 13 to 33 percent; in Los Angeles
from 33 to 64 percent; and in Philadelphia from 2 to 36 percent.
The report points out that the levels are related to the individ-
ual site, and cannot be combined to characterize the entire citv
nor to compare one city with another.
The report also contains ambient air levels for Los Alamos,
New Mexico, for the 1968-69 period. Los Alamos was not studied
in the earlier years.
Blood lead levels also were measured in a total of 872
women living near certain sampling sites in residential areas of
these four communities to provide base data for use in future
studies to determine whether changes occur. Women were chosen
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because they were mc*st likely to have spent a substantial portion
of each day in the a rea around the sampling sites. Their blood
levels ranged from 15.4 micrograms of lead per 100 grams of blood
in Los A].amos, to a level of 20.6 in Philadelphia.
It has not yet been determined whether there is a true
relationship between the ambient air lead levels and the blood
lead levels measured in the four communities. EPA officials
stressed that further statistical analysis of the data is needed
before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Similar data for Chicago, Houston, and New York City are
being assembled and will be released this summer. Similar data
are beinq gathered on Washington, D.C. and will be released in
October.
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