High blood lead levels compromise the total antioxidant status of normal healthy adults in a population in Karachi

Objective: to find out the total antioxidant status (tas) and its relationship to blood lead (pb) in apparently healthy adults in a population in karachi. methodology: in a cross-sectional study, a cohort of 132 healthy adults (67 having blood pb levels below 7μg/dl and 65 having blood pb levels above 11μg/dl) were randomly selected from 872 healthy adults (age 18-60 years) recruited from a low-income population in karachi. tas in serum was analyzed using spectrophotometric assay based kit, while blood pb levels were determined using atomic absorption spectrometric method. results: mean serum tas levels were significantly less in subjects with high blood pb concentration compared to those with low blood pb concentration (1.05±0.27 mmol/l vs 1.16±0.24 mmol/l; p=0.01). in a correlation analysis adjusted for age and gender, tas levels were found to be modestly associated with blood pb [pearson’s r=-0.2; p=0.02]. conclusion: mean tas levels were significantly decreased in apparently healthy adults with high blood pb in a general population in karachi. exposure to pb pollution could be compromising antioxidant ability of individuals in the study population