NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women with high levels of lead in their blood are likely to die sooner -- particularly from heart disease -- than their counterparts with low lead levels, new research indicates.

Researchers followed 533 women aged 65 to 87 years old for roughly 12 years. Those with lead concentrations above 8 micrograms per deciliter of blood were 59 percent more likely to die of any cause, and three times more likely to die of heart disease, than women with lower blood lead levels.

"Despite declines in blood lead concentrations during the past 30 years, environmental lead exposure continues to be a public health concern," Dr. Naila Khalil of University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and colleagues wrote in BioMed Central's online journal Environmental Health.

"Lead is a toxic metal, and our results add to the existing evidence of adverse affects of lead on health as seen in an older cohort who experienced greater historic environmental lead exposure," Khalil added in a written statement.

Results of the most recent US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2002) indicate that average blood lead levels have declined sharply -- relative to earlier surveys -- to 1.45 micrograms per deciliter.

However, the women studied by Khalil's group were part of an earlier study conducted between 1986 and 1988, and were therefore alive while lead was still used in paints, water systems and gasoline. Their average blood concentrations were 5.3 micrograms per deciliter, with some women showing levels as high as 21 micrograms per deciliter.

During the 12 years these women were followed, 123 died and these women had slightly higher average blood lead concentrations than survivors (5.56 versus 5.17 micrograms per deciliter.

Multiple factors contribute to the development of heart disease, and the current study shows that lead exposure may be one of them, the investigators say.

"While the damage may already have been done for some older people," they say, "it is important that we recognize the harm that environmental exposure to lead can cause. We must remain vigilant and ensure that lead pollution is minimized for the sake of future generations' health," the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: BMC Environmental Health 2009.

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