Cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel concentrations were measured in blood and urine samples collected pre- or postpartum of pregnant women living in arctic regions of Norway and Russia. Levels of these metals were also determined in cord blood and of nickel in the first urine void of newborn babies. For cadmium, lead and mercury, the concentrations found were within baseline reference intervals, even for Russian communities considered to be heavily polluted. Urinary nickel levels were significantly higher in the Russian communities (p less than or equal 0.0001), even in the absence of a nickel refinery as a point source. Proximity of communities to the Chernobyl fallout zone appears to account for the concentration distribution pattern observed for Cesium-137 in 10 placentas collected in each of 11 northern communities.
