Lead-in Petrol Act: has lead contamination of man and environment decreased?

Based on the Lead-in-Petrol Act, atmospheric lead emissions in Germany has dropped by 65% between 1985 and 1995. Since the Act became effective lead concentrations in human specimens and in terrestrial environmental specimens decreased contemporaneous to the decline in consumption of leaded petrol.

Contamination of humans

For the study groups from Münster the lead content in whole blood decreased from about 70 µg/L in 1981 to levels below 15 µg/L in 2008. Current concentrations are far below the maximum tolerable level of 150 µg/L for adults and are considerably lower than reference values established by the German Human Biomonitoring Commission (HBM) for the reference period 1997/1999, i.e. 90 µg/L for males and 70 µg/L for females, both aged 18-69 years. Previous published HBM values have been withdrawn by the Commission.

Lead in whole blood (mean); study groups from Münster, 1981-2003
 Fig. 1: Lead in whole blood (mean); study groups from Münster since 1981 Zoom in
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Comparison of East and West Germany

Comparison between East German and West German study groups reveals only minor difference in 2008 with slightly higher lead concentrations in students from Eastern Germany. 

Contamination of terrestrial environmental specimen

Decreasing lead concentrations were also apparent in terrestrial environmental specimens. During the study period 1985 (resp. 1991) to 2010, lead concentrations in spruce shoots and poplar leaves from the Saarland conurbation decreased by a factor of 4 to 8 to levels below 1 mg/kg dry matter.

Lead in common spruce
 Fig. 2: Lead in common spruce Zoom in
Lead in lombardy poplar
 Fig. 3: Lead in lombardy poplar Zoom in
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Contamination of the aquatic environment

In marine and fresh water ecosystems no comparable trends are detectable up to now. This is mainly due to the fact that the nondegradable lead accumulates in sediments.
Lead concentrations in common mussels from Eckwarderhörne (North Sea) varied between 1,9 and 3.7 mg/kg dry weight (dw) during the study period (1985 - 2010). Similar levels, i.e.  1.9 - 3.5 mg/kg dw, were determined in mussel samples from the Baltic Sea (Darßer Ort) between 1992 and 2010.  By contrast, lead concentrations in common mussels from remote sampling sites in the North Sea (Königshafen and südlich Lister Hafen) were considerably lower (i.e. 1.0 - 2.3 mg/g dw). 

Lead in common mussels, North Sea and Baltic Sea, 1985 - 2008
 Fig. 4: Lead in common mussels from the North and Baltic Sea Zoom in
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In recent years lead concentrations in mussels from both, Baltic and North Sea, are near or within the range of background levels defined by the OSPAR Commission (i.e. 0.01 - 0.19 mg/kg wet weight). 

Information on the evaluation of lead contamination in mussels

The European Commission has set a maximum level of lead in foodstuffs at 1.5 mg/kg ww. In 2010, wet weight-based lead concentrations in mussels from the Baltic and the North Sea were 0.1 mg/kg (Baltic Sea) and 0.08 resp. 0.16 mg/kg (North Sea) and thus far below the EU-limit value.