Influence of smoking on aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity,haematocrite and lead in blood in adult urban women

Summary In adult urban women the effect of smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day on Ht, ALA-D activity and PbB-level was studied. Within the range of PbB-levels studied (up to 240 ppb in whole blood) smoking increased hematocrite, and so the transport capacity of total peripheral blood for Pb and the total ALA-D activity. Decrease of ALA-D-activity per cell volume was for 20 % due to increased PbB-level per cell volume as related to smoking, and for 80 % due to a direct effect of smoking. If one wants to study whether a no-effect level of PbB on ALA-D exists, one has to examine non-smokers.