The main routes of lead (Pb) absorption are through the airways and orally, and through
consumption of contaminated food and beverage, with Pb mainly being absorbed in the atmospheric
particulate form. In 2012, a cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the Pb environmental
exposure in two Amazonian districts, Dom Manuel (DMN) and Laranjal (CLA), located in Barcarena
City, northern Brazil. CLA is located outside the industrial area of Barcarena (control population),
whereas DMN is an old community located in the vicinity of industrial activities. A significant number
of residents in these districts participated in an epidemiological inquiry and blood sampling. Total Pb
blood levels were quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The
mean Pb blood level in people that live in DMN was 281.60 (98.73?570.80) ?g?L?1, approximately
nine times higher than the level found in CLA (32.77 ?g?L?1). In these districts, the Pb blood levels
showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) based on gender, schooling, residence time, and
smoking. This is the first evidence of industrial environmental pollutant exposure in the Amazon.
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