CADMIUM AND LEAD LEVELS IN DECIDUOUS TEETH OF CHILDREN LIVING IN MÉXICO CITY

Cadmium and lead levels in 79 deciduous teeth from children between 5 and 13 years old living in the México City Metropolitan Zone were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Lead and cadmium concentrations showed a positively skewed distribution and results were transformed into logarithms. The geometric mean concentrations (GM) in all teeth were 0.22 ± 3.4 and 10.2 ± 2.2 µg g-1 for cadmium and lead, respectively. No statistical differ-ences were observed for cadmium and lead concentrations among tooth type, tooth position, gender, socioeconomic level, and use or no use of color crayons. Cadmium values decreased with children’s age and lead levels did not show a clear tendency. Statistical differences were only observed for cadmium according to age. Palabras clave: dientes, niños, exposición a cadmio y plomo, concentración de cadmio y plomo en dientes, México RESUMEN Se determinaron por espectrometría de absorción atómica con horno de grafito los niveles de cadmio y plomo en 79 dientes deciduos de niños de 5 a 13 años de edad que residen en la Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México. Las concentraciones de cadmio y plomo mostraron un