Lead powder use for skin care and elevated blood lead level among children in a Chinese rural area

To investigate the association between lead powder use, as folk skin care, and blood lead level (BLL) in children, we studied 222 children up to 14-years old living in a Chinese rural area and administered a face to face interview with their parents to collect information on lead powder use and other potential exposure. We measured children's BLL at baseline and 2 years later after an intervention. The children were divided into three categories according to their use of lead powder: regular use, irregular use and never use. We applied multivariate linear regression to determine the association between lead powder use and elevated BLL. The average BLL of all children was 18?μg/dl; 56% of them had BLL of 10?μg/dl or higher. Lead powder use was significantly associated with elevated BLL. After adjusting for potential confounders the BLL of regular and irregular users was higher than non-users by 3.11?μg/dl and 1.47?μg/dl, respectively. Duration of lead powder use was positively associated with BLL, but the time since last use was inversely associated. A significant BLL reduction was observed 2 years later, and the greatest reduction (21?μg/dl) was seen in the youngest group of regular users. This study showed that traditional use of lead powder for a skin care purpose was a major contributor to elevated BLL in these children.     

低水平铅暴露儿童的GH/IGF-1轴变化及其与ALAD基因多态性的关系

目的:探讨低水平铅暴露儿童的生长激素/胰岛素样生长因子-1(GH/IGF-1)轴的变化及其与δ-氨基-γ-酮戊酸脱氢酶(ALAD)基因多态性的关系。方法:用钨舟原子吸收光谱法测定来自深圳市区242例学龄前儿童静脉血铅水平(BLL)。按血铅水平将患儿分为两组,A组BLL<50μg/L,B组BLL≥50μg/L。对两组对象的身高(H)、血红蛋白水平(Hb)、ALAD基因、生长激素(GH)、胰岛素样生长因子-1(IGF-1)和胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-3(IGFBP-3)水平进行比较。身高测量和血红蛋白检测用常规方法进行;ALAD基因多态性检测采用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)法;生长激素测定采用化学发光法;IGF-1和IGFBP-3测定采用ELISA法。结果:242例儿童的血铅水平范围为8～146μg/L,几何均数47μg/L。BLL≥50μg/L者占43%,≥100μg/L者占0.8%。两组儿童的IGFBP-3水平差异有统计学意义,B组明显低于A组。身高和IGF-1略有差异,但无统计学意义。基因多态性分析显示,223例为ALAD1-1型,19例为ALAD1-2型,未发现ALAD2-2型。ALAD2基因出现的频率为7.85%。两组儿童突变基因的频率分布差异无统计学意义。结论:本研究发现即使低水平铅暴露也与儿童血IGFBP-3水平明显降低有关,表明铅中毒损害儿童GH/IGF-1轴功能。在低水平铅暴露状态下,ALAD基因的多态性对儿童血铅水平并无明显影响。可能只有在高水平铅暴露时,ALAD基因变异才会对儿童铅中毒易感性发挥作用。     

Blood lead levels and associated sociodemographic factors among preschool children in the South Eastern region of China

Children are especially vulnerable to lead toxicity, and exposure to lead has been linked to poor school performance and delinquency in children and adolescents. Even low-level lead exposure [blood lead level (BLL) <10 μg/dL] can cause intellectual deficit. In China, BLLs in children decreased slightly after the phasing out of lead in gasoline, but few studies have examined the sociodemographic factors associated with BLL above 10 μg/dL. In this study, we sought to examine the hypothesis that sociodemographic factors predict BLLs. We measured BLLs of 1344 preschool children (3-5 years old) from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study. Children's sociodemographic and health statuses, as well as parental sociodemographic data, were collected using questionnaires. Regression models were used to explore the association between sociodemographic factors and log-transformed BLLs as well as the relationship between sociodemographic factors and the risk of BLL ≥10 μg/dL. We found the median BLL to be 6.2 μg/dL (range: 1.8-32.0 μg/dL); 8% of children had BLLs ≥10 μg/dL. Boys had a higher median BLL (6.4 μg/dL) than girls and were more likely to have BLL ≥10 μg/dL [odds ratio = 1.77, 95% confidence interval 1.14, 2.74]. BLLs increased as children aged, with a median BLL of 6.6 μg/dL among 5-year-old children. Children with siblings had a higher average BLL and greater prevalence of a BLL ≥10 μg/dL than those without siblings. Living in a crowded neighbourhood was also associated with increased BLLs. Mother's lower education, father's occupation (as professional worker) and parental smoking at home were associated with increased BLLs. This study shows that children in this area still have relatively high BLLs even after the phasing out of leaded gasoline. Both children's and parental factors and community condition are associated with increased BLLs. Future efforts are needed to identify other sources of exposure and develop targeted prevention strategies.     

Review: Lead exposure in battery manufacturing and recycling in developing countries and among children in nearby communities

The battery industry is the largest consumer of lead, using an estimated 80% of the global lead production. The industry is also rapidly expanding in emerging market countries. A review of published literature on exposures from lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling plants in developing countries was conducted. The review included studies from 37 countries published from 1993 to 2010 and excluded facilities in developed countries, such as the United States and those in Western Europe, except for providing comparisons to reported findings. The average worker blood lead level (BLL) in developing countries was 47 μg/dL in battery manufacturing plants and 64 μg/dL in recycling facilities. Airborne lead concentrations reported in battery plants in developing countries averaged 367 μg/m3, which is 7-fold greater than the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 50 μg/m3 permissible exposure limit. The geometric mean BLL of children residing near battery plants in developing countries was 19 μg/dL, which is about 13-fold greater than the levels observed among children in the United States. The blood lead and airborne lead exposure concentrations for battery workers were substantially higher in developing countries than in the United States. This disparity may worsen due to rapid growth in lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling operations worldwide. Given the lack of regulatory and enforcement capacity in most developing countries, third-party certification programs may be the only viable option to improve conditions.     

Blood lead levels in Japanese children: Effects of passive smoking

Blood lead levels (BLLs) of 188 pediatric patients were measured and their parents were queried as to the smoking style in their home. Their mean BLL was 3.16 μg/dl, which was among the lowest levels in the world, and none of them had levels of over 10 μ g/dl. Preschool children ( 1 to 6 years of age) with parents who smoked in the same room had a significantly higher BLL (mean; 4.15 μ g/dl) than those with parents who never smoked (mean; 3.06 μ g/dl) (P<0.01). However, the mean BLL of school children (6 to 15 years of age) with parents who smoked in the same room was not significantly different from that of school children with parents who never smoked. Passive smoking caused an increase of the BLL only in preschool children in Japan. This is probably because preschool infants spend much more time with their parents and have much more contact with passive smoking than school children and, additionally young infants have a limited ability to excrete lead from the body.     

锌原卟啉作为环境铅污染人群筛查指标的可行性研究

目的探讨红细胞锌原卟啉（ZPP）应用于人群接触环境铅污染筛查指标的可行性。方法以紫金县某电池厂附近常住居民为调查对象,采集被调查者静脉血2～3 mL,采用血液锌原卟啉测定仪测定ZPP、石墨炉原子吸收光谱法测定血铅。儿童以血铅含量≥100μg/L、成年人以≥400μg/L为慢性铅中毒判定标准。结果共调查946名居民,其中1～13岁儿童174人、16～87岁成年人772人。儿童血铅含量超标率为14.9%（26/174）,儿童ZPP含量中位数为0.780μmol/L,血铅中位数为47.675μg/L,儿童ZPP含量与血铅含量的相关关系没有统计学意义（P〉0.05）。成人血铅含量超标率为9.5%（73/772）,成人ZPP含量中位数为0.740μmol/L,血铅中位数为69.572μg/L,成人ZPP含量与血铅含量呈弱相关关系（r=0.344,P〈0.05）。儿童血铅高水平组（血铅≥100μg/L）ZPP含量与血铅含量呈较强的相关关系（r=0.530,P〈0.05）,儿童血铅低水平组（血铅〈100μg/L）ZPP含量与血铅含量的相关关系没有统计学意义（P〉0.05）。成人血铅高水平组（血铅≥400μg/L）和低水平组（血铅〈400μg/L）的ZPP含量与血铅含量均具有相关关系（r分别为0.566、0.142,均P〈0.05）。结论成人血铅或儿童血铅水平较高时,ZPP可以作为环境铅污染人群筛查的指标。     

Elevated blood-lead levels among children living in the rural Philippines

OBJECTIVE: Generally, lead poisoning is not considered a significant environmental hazard for children in rural areas of developing countries. With a prospectively designed policy experiment, the research community and the government are conducting a broad-based investigation to introduce and evaluate the impact of health policy reforms on children in a rural area of the Philippines - the Quality Improvement Demonstration Study (QIDS). As part of this study, we researched lead exposure in children under the age of five. METHODS: We sampled a population of children from the Visayas region in the central Philippines, covering approximately one third of the country's geographical area. From December 2003 to September 2004, the survey collected blood lead levels (BLL) together with demographic, socioeconomic and child health data points. Supplemental field-testing among a sub-sample of the most exposed children assessed the sources of environmental lead exposure. FINDINGS: Among children in this study, 21% (601 of 2861 children) had BLL greater than 10 microg/dl. BLL were associated independently with age, haemoglobin concentration, water source, roofing material, expenditures and history of breastfeeding. A follow-up assessment of possible environmental exposures among the sub-sample of children with elevated BLL revealed no single or predominant exposure source. Instead, there appear to be multiple potential sources, such as fossil-fuel combustion, lead paint (in or around 38% of homes) and household items. CONCLUSION: Elevated BLL are common among children in the Visayas, and may signify an under-recognized threat to children living in rural areas of other developing nations. This setting has varied environmental sources of lead. Observed correlates of BLL may be of clinical, environmental and public health utility to identify and mitigate the consequences of lead toxicity.     

Exposure of children to lead and cadmium from a mining area of Brazil

During the past 50 years the Ribeira river valley, in the southern part of the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, had been under the influence of the full activity of a huge lead refinery and mine working by the side of the river. The plant completely stopped all kinds of industrial activities at the end of 1995, and part of the worker population and their families still remain living nearby in small communities. The objective of the study was to assess the exposure of children to lead and cadmium in these areas, where residual environmental contamination from the past industrial activity still exists. Blood samples of 295 children aged 7 to 14 years, residing in rural and urban areas around the mine and the refinery, were collected. A questionnaire was given to gather information on food habits, leisure activities, father's past employment, current and former residential places, and other variables. Blood lead and cadmium concentrations were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using Zeeman background correction. Cadmium values obtained in this population were mostly below established quantification limits (0.5 microg/dl). The median of blood lead level (BLL) obtained in children living close to the lead refinery was 11.25 microg/dl, and the median in other mining regions far from the refinery was 4.4 microg/dl. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the independent contribution of selected variables in predicting BLL in these children. The following variables showed significant association with high BLL: residential area close to the lead refinery [odds ratio (OR)=10.38 (95% confidence interval (Cl)=4.86-23.25)], former father's occupational lead exposure [OR=4.07 (95% Cl=1.82-9.24)], and male gender [OR=2.60 (95% Cl=1.24-5.62)].     

Use of isotope ratios to identify sources contributing to pediatric lead poisoning in Peru

In 1998, a school-based blood lead level (BLL) survey of 2,510 children, conducted in Lima and Callao, Peru, revealed elevated BLLs in children from 2 Callao schools (mean BLL = 25.6 microg/dl; n = 314) and in children from Callao overall (mean BLL = 15.2 microg/dl; n = 898), compared with children from Lima (mean BLL = 7.1 microg/dl; n = 1,612). Public health officials at Peru's Direccion General de Salud Ambiental (DIGESA) hypothesized that a possible source of the elevated pediatric BLLs observed in Callao was a large depository near the port where mineral concentrates are stored prior to shipment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked with DIGESA to identify source(s) that contributed to the pediatric lead poisonings by comparing isotopic profiles of lead in blood, mineral, gasoline, and air filter samples. The lead isotope ratio (IR) observed in mineral samples from the depository in Callao differed from those in gasoline samples from Lima and Callao. The blood lead IRs of children living near the depository were similar to the IRs of the mineral samples and different from the IRs of the gasoline samples, suggesting that lead from the depository-and not gasoline-was the primary source of lead in these children. Lead IR analysis of regional air filter samples supported these findings.     

Resurgent lead poisoning and renewed public attention towards environmental social justice issues: A review of current efforts and call to revitalize primary and secondary lead poisoning prevention for pregnant women,lactating mothers,and children within the U.S.

The recent Colorado Gold King Mine waste-water spill and Michigan’s water supply re-routing program catastrophe, has directed renewed public attention towards resurgent environmental lead contamination threats. Leaded environments present social justice issues for children and mothers possessing blood lead levels (BLLs) > 5 μg/dL. Childhood lead exposure remains a continual U.S. public health problem manifesting in lifelong adverse neuropsychological consequences. The 2007 Inspector General Report demonstrated low BLL screening rates across the U.S. and this study examined the regularity of children’s BLL screening rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Lead Poisoning National Surveillance 2010–2014 children’s BLL screening rates, were examined to assess BLL screening regularity in states traditionally known to have regularly occurring BLL screenings: New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The results extracted from the CDC data showed that < 50% of children were BLL screened by six-years of age across the states that were sampled. The findings highlight that without a “clear map” of lead exposed areas through accurate and consistent BLL screenings, how the potential for such disparities within – and between-states within the U.S. could arise due to environmental social justice issues in relation to BLL screening barriers. Barriers preventing children’s BLL screenings were considered, and public health interventions recommended to improve screening rates included: routine BLL screening for all pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children; while, removing known lead exposure sources within communities. This study calls for action during a time of renewed public attention to resurgent lead poisoning within the U.S.     

Low-Level Lead Exposure and Blood Lead Levels in Children: A Cross-Sectional Survey

The authors studied 53 girls (44.5%) and 66 (55.5%) boys in Karachi, Pakistan, to determine their blood lead levels. The association between blood lead levels/water lead levels and the possible risk factors and symptoms associated with lead toxicity was explored. The mean lead level for the entire group was 7.9 μg/dl (standard deviation = 4.5 μg/dl). Thirty (25.2%) of the children had lead levels that exceeded 10 μg/dl; 12 (10.0%) of these had lead levels that exceeded 15 μg/dl. Thirteen (20.9%) of the children under the age of 6 yr (n = 62) had lead levels greater than 10 μg/dl, and 6 (9.6%) had levels in excess of 15 μg/dl. The authors found no association (p > .05) between high lead levels in water and blood lead levels in children. Mean blood lead levels were highest in the group of children exposed to various risk factors for lead absorption (e.g., exposure to paint, remodeling, and renovation; use of lead utensils; pica). There was a significant association between a history of exposure to paint/renovation activities and a history of pica. High blood lead levels in the children in Karachi stress the urgency for actions that control lead pollution. Screening programs should be instituted by the state. Individuals must become aware of lead's toxicity, and they must avoid substances that contain lead.     

Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and surma use determine cord lead levels in Karachi, Pakistan

Objectives

To estimate the umbilical cord blood lead levels (BLLs) of Pakistani neonates and to identify determinants for umbilical BLLs.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of mothers and infants at one of the two obstetric units of two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi during January-August 2005. Information from 540 mothers selected randomly from those registered for delivery was obtained about their pregnancy, diet, and current and past lead exposures. We collected umbilical cord blood for lead levels analyzed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. We computed geometric and arithmetic means. We performed multiple linear regression analysis to identify factors associated with log-transformed umbilical cord BLLs. We also performed logistic regression analysis to identify determinants of high lead cord BLLs (?10 μg/dl).

Results

The geometric mean cord BLL of the neonates was 9.6 μg/dl; arithmetic mean (S.D.) was 10.8 μg/dl (5.7) with a median of 9.7 μg/dl and a range of 1.8-48.9 μg/dl. Women who reported intake of less than 58.5 mg of elemental iron supplement per day during pregnancy had cord BLL of 10.0 μg/dl; in comparison those women who had higher iron intake had lower cord BLL (8.4 μg/dl). Those who used surma (an eye cosmetic) daily had higher cord BLL (11.5 μg/dl) as compared to those who used it less frequently (9.4 μg/dl). In multivariable linear regression model, higher iron intake, owning a car, and being in 2nd quartile of mid-arm circumference were associated with low lead levels while father's occupation in lead-based industry was associated with significantly higher umbilical cord BLLs. There was interaction of daily surma use and ethnicity. Geometric mean BLLs were varied among surma users by ethnicity.

Conclusions

Umbilical cord BLLs are high in Karachi, Pakistan, in comparison to those in developed countries such as United States. Measures are needed to reduce fetal lead exposure to prevent adverse affect on neurocognitive development. Association of low iron (below RDA of 60 mg per day) with high umbilical cord has implications for strengthening iron supplement intake during pregnancy. Umbilical cord BLLs differed among surma users by ethnicity.     

广州市使用无铅汽油十年后儿童血铅水平调查

目的 通过检测现阶段儿童血铅水平,了解广州市使用无铅汽油10年后的实施效果.方法 按分层随机抽样方法从广州市12个区、县级市中取市中心区、城郊区和郊县各1个,每个区、县再按分层各抽4所幼儿园和4所小学,从中取2373名2至12岁自愿抽血检测的儿童为调查对象,每名儿童肘部抽取静脉血1～2 ml,用0.1%Triton X-100和0.1%HNO3,对血样稀释20倍后直接以电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)测定血铅.结果 2373名儿童中血铅最高值为330μg/L,最小值为10μg/L,几何均值为58.28μg/L,男童血铅均值(61.11μg/L)高于女童(55.37μg/L)(t=8.671,P=0.000).高血铅儿童共60名,占2.51%,其中男童36名(2.90%),女童24名(2.09%),差异无统计学意义(X2=1.594,P=0.207).与10年前全国情况(铅中毒平均流行率50%～85%、血铅均值120～160μg/L)相比高血铅儿童流行率减少了96.25%,血铅平均水平下降了58.37%.城乡结合部的白云区血铅均值为60.33μg/L,明显高于市中心的荔湾区和增城(血铅均值分别为58.09、56.72μg/L).结论 广州市使用无铅汽油10年后儿童铅中毒和血铅水平均大幅下降.     

The epidemiology and surveillance of blood lead in Taiwan (R.O.C.): A report on the PRESS-BLL project

 To monitor the lead hazards in industries and to investigate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in lead-exposed workers, a lead surveillance system (PRESS-BLLs) has been established and operated in Taiwan, Republic of China, since July 1993. A cohort of lead-exposed workers who received a periodic annual health examination at 55 accredited hospital laboratories was constructed. A total of 9807 separate BLL measurements were reported to the system in 1994. The mean BLL was 15.8 μg/dl in male workers and 11.6 μg/dl in female workers. The mean BLL of lead-exposed workers was significantly (P<0.05, z-test) higher than that of the general Taiwanese population (8.6 μg/dl for males and 6.7 μg/dl for females). In addition, the BLLs of 983 (10.0%) workers exceeded the regulatory action level (40 μg/dl for males; 30 μg/dl for females). The workplaces and homes of 57% of the workers with elevated BLLs were thoroughly investigated to determine the sources of lead contamination. These actions identified the causes of elevated BLLs and set up strategies to reduce workers’ lead exposure. The establishment of this occupational lead surveillance system represents a method for monitoring of lead hazards from occupational and environmental settings to prevent lead poisoning. The information acquired from the system can help in the setting up of a priority of prevention and the development of control measures. It is also useful for further monitoring of changes in the BLLs of the lead-exposed-worker cohort. The Health Department of Taiwan can use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of current industrial hygiene practice. Subjects with elevated BLLs have been medically treated and placed on long-term follow-up for sequelae. Received: 2 September 1996/Accepted: 29 November 1996     

Blood lead levels of refugee children resettled in Massachusetts, 2000 to 2007

Objectives. We described elevated blood lead level (BLL; ≥ 10 μg/dL) prevalence among newly arrived refugee children in Massachusetts. We also investigated the incidence of BLL increases and BLLs newly elevated to 20 μg/dL or higher in the year following initial testing, along with associated factors.Methods. We merged data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health''s Refugee and Immigrant Health Program and the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program on 1148 refugee children younger than 7 years who arrived in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2007.Results. Elevated BLL prevalence was 16% among newly arrived refugee children. The rate ratio for BLL elevation to 20 μg/dL or higher after arrival was 12.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.2, 24.5) compared with children in communities the state defines as high-risk for childhood lead exposure. Residence in a census tract with older housing (median year built before 1950) was associated with a higher rate of BLL increases after resettlement (hazard ratio = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.3).Conclusions. Refugee children are at high risk of lead exposure before and after resettlement in Massachusetts. A national surveillance system of refugee children''s BLLs following resettlement would allow more in-depth analysis.Refugee children who resettle in the United States may arrive with substantially higher blood lead levels (BLLs) than those among children in the general US population.^1,2 For recently arrived refugees, the risk of additional lead exposure after immigration may also be substantial. In 2000, a 2-year-old Sudanese refugee child died as a result of exposure to lead in her family''s New Hampshire home.³ A subsequent case series among children resettled in New Hampshire raised concerns that African refugee children may be at particularly high risk of lead exposure. In that study, 22 of 71 children (31%) who arrived without an elevated BLL (≥ 10 μg/dL) had an elevated BLL at follow-up testing, indicating new exposure to lead after immigration.²Preventing postimmigration lead exposure among refugee children is an important public health priority because of the irreversible behavioral and cognitive deficits caused by even low levels of lead exposure in early childhood.⁴ Families may be placed in housing with inherently high health risks—generally older, nonrehabilitated housing with lead exposure hazards from deteriorating paint or contaminated soil. Such families may also have difficulty accessing health care over time, so cases of lead poisoning may not be identified. To prevent lead exposure and its adverse consequences in refugee children, information regarding the sources of lead, its prevalence, and the severity of exposure is necessary.Our primary goal was to describe the risk of elevated BLLs among refugee children upon arrival in the United States and in the period following resettlement. Secondary goals were to determine whether African origin was associated with an increased risk of elevated BLL at initial and follow-up testing and whether residence in housing built prior to 1950 (after which use of lead in residential paint declined) was associated with postimmigration increases in BLL.     

Lead Levels in Blood Bank Blood

Although blood bank blood is usually screened for dangerous pathogens, the presence of toxic metals in blood has received little attention. Population blood lead levels have been declining in the United States, but occasional high outliers in blood lead concentration can be found–even when mean levels of blood lead are low. We sampled 999 consecutive blood bank bags from the King/Drew Medical Center, used between December 1999 and February 2000. The geometric mean blood lead level was 1.0 μg/dl (0.048 μmol/l), but 0.5% of the samples had lead levels that exceeded 10 μg/d1, and 2 samples had lead levels that exceeded 30 μg/dl. The 2 samples with the highest lead levels could have presented an additional risk to infants if they were used for blood replacement. Therefore, even in countries with generally low population blood lead levels, blood bank blood should be screened for lead concentration prior to use with infants.     

Public Protection in an Open Exhibit of Radioactivity

Studies on the effects of lead on the somatic growth of children are limited and contradictory. The authors investigated the adverse effects of blood lead concentration on the somatic growth of primary-school-age children. In this study, there was a total of 522 children, aged 6–9 y, who resided in three areas of Greece (i.e., Loutraki, Lavrion, and Elefsina). The medical evaluation included medical history; physical examination; and measurements of height, head circumference, and chest circumference. The authors also evaluated dietary information, socioeconomic status, and height of parents. The authors conducted laboratory tests for hematological parameters and blood lead levels. The mean blood lead level was 12.3 μg/dl (standard deviation = 8.9 μg/dl), and levels ranged from 1.3 μg/dl to 51.2 μg/dl. There were negative monotonic relationships between growth parameters and blood lead levels, even after the authors allowed for confounding effects. An increase in blood lead level of 10 μg/dl was associated with a decrease of (a) 0.33 cm in head circumference (95% confidence interval = 0.12, 0.55; p = .002); (b) 0.86 cm in height (95% confidence interval = 0.14, 1.16; p = .020); and (c) 0.40 cm in chest circumference (95% confidence interval = ?0.22, 1.02; p = .207). These findings led the authors to conclude that a decrease in growth in children may be associated with blood lead concentrations.     

Blood lead levels and risk factors in young children in France, 2008–2009

BackgroundThe exposure of children to lead has decreased in recent years, thanks notably to the banning of leaded gasoline. However, lead exposure remains a matter of public health concern, because no toxicity threshold has been observed, cognitive effects having been demonstrated even at low levels. It is therefore important to update exposure assessments. A national study was conducted, in 2008–2009, to determine the blood lead level (BLL) distribution in children between the ages of six months and six years in France. We also assessed the contribution of environmental factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey included 3831 children recruited at hospitals. Two-stage probability sampling was carried out, with stratification by hospital and French region. Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded, and blood samples and environmental data were collected by questionnaire. Generalized linear model and quantile regression were used to quantify the association between BLL and environmental risk factors.ResultsThe geometric mean BLL was 14.9 μg/l (95% confidence interval (CI) = [14.5–15.4]) and 0.09% of the children (95% CI = [0.03–0.15]) had BLLs exceeding 100 μg/l, 1.5% (95% CI = [0.9–2.1] exceeding 50 μg/l. Only slight differences were observed between French regions. Environmental factors significantly associated with BLL were the consumption of tap water in homes with lead service connections, peeling paint or recent renovations in old housing, hand-mouth behavior, passive smoking and having a mother born in a country where lead is often used.ConclusionsIn children between the ages of one and six years in France, lead exposure has decreased over the last 15 years as in the US and other European countries. Nevertheless still 76,000 children have BLL over 50 μg/l and prevention policies must be pursued, especially keeping in mind there is no known toxicity threshold.     

Risk for Elevated Blood Lead Levels in 3- and 4-Year-Old Children

Objective We conducted a study to evaluate the relation between environmental, demographic, and medical risk factors and late-onset childhood lead poisoning, defined as children who were poisoned at age 3 or older. Methods We performed a retrospective case–control study of 262 children whose test results showed non-elevated (<10 μg/dl) blood lead levels (BLLs) before age 2 but levels ≥10 μg/dl after age 3 and of 300 control children who had non-elevated BLL test results before age 2 and also after age 3. The target population was children receiving care at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. We modeled the association between demographic and clinical risk factors and BLLs ≥10 μg/dl after age 3. Covariates considered were race, gender, body mass index, immunization status, mean corpuscular volume, hematocrit, red cell volume distribution width (RDW), red blood count, hemoglobin, baseline BLL result, and time between the baseline and second BLL test. Results Case children were more likely to be male (P < 0.0001), black (P = 0.0189) and to have a high RDW defined as ≥14.5 % (P = 0.0083). On the basis of the final model, children with BLLs 7–9 μg/dl before age 2 and again after a follow-up BLL test (<21 months) were more likely to become lead poisoned than were control children. The risk of black children developing lead poisoning increased over time, regardless of the child’s first BLL test result. Conclusions Although national recommendations are to test children’s blood lead levels at ages 1 and 2, children living in high-risk areas with such risk factors should have a blood lead test at these older ages. Jaime S. Raymond and Roberta Anderson contributed equally to this work.     

Lead exposure in an urban community: investigation of risk factors and assessment of the impact of lead abatement measures

INTRODUCTION: A battery recycling plant located in an urbanized area contaminated the environment with lead oxides. The Secretary of Environment of the State of S?o Paulo demanded an evaluation of lead exposure among the population in the vicinity of the plant. OBJECTIVES: To assess the lead exposure of children, to propose control measures and evaluate the impact of these measures. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of all children<13 years old in a radius of 1km from the plant responsible for the contamination. Blood lead levels (BLL) were determined for each child and questionnaires were applied to their parents. Mean BLL were compared before and after control measures were implemented. Logistic regression identified risk factors of lead exposure. RESULTS: Of the 850 investigated children, 311 presented BLL above the action limit established by the World Health Organization. Overall, the median BLL was 7.3 micro g/dL and it varied according to age of children (higher among 1-5 years old) and distance of the residence from the plant. Risk factors identified for BLL>10 micro g/dL were: to live in unpaved areas, parent working in the plant, distance from the plant, to play on the ground, pica, and to drink locally produced milk. After control measures were implemented (closing the plant, soil removal, dust vacuum-cleaning in the households, etc.), a reduction of 46% in BLL was observed considering the 241 re-evaluated children with levels >10 micro g/dL. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that combined abatement measures were effective in reducing BLL in children living close to a contaminating source. These results informed the decision-making process regarding management of contaminated areas in Brazil.