details the general characteristics of Korean females
according to blood cadmium quartile group. The mean (S.E.) age
for females in this study was 55.6 (0.3) years. Among 1771 Korean
females, 95 (6.7%) had COPD. Education and income levels were
inversely correlated with blood cadmium quartile groups in
Korean females. Conversely, current tobacco use, smoking packyears,
and urinary cotinine concentration increased with increasing
blood cadmium quartile groups in Korean females. Interestingly,
in contrast to Korean males FEV1p, FEV1/FVC, and COPD
prevalence did not have an inverse relationship with blood
cadmium quartile groups in Korean females.