Résumé
Lead is a widespread environmental contaminant worldwide and is associated with adverse outcomes in children, including impaired neurobehavioral development and learning difficulties. A cross-sectional survey of 53 young children was conducted in a fishing village on an island adjacent to Karachi, Pakistan. Whole blood from each individual was tested for lead levels. Also tested were samples of cooked food, house dust, and drinking water from 36 households. Laboratory determinations were made by the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research with quality control by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fifty-two subjects (98%) had blood lead levels above 10 μg/dl (mean 21.60 pg/dl), an internationally recognized threshold for potential neurotoxicity. The mean concentration was 3.90 μg/g in cooked food, 4.02 μg/l in drinking water, and 91.30 μg/g in house dust. These findings indicate possible major health concerns and suggest significant environmental contamination in this community as well as the need to identify locally relevant early childhood exposures.
| Langue d'origine | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (de-à) | 37-41 |
| Nombre de pages | 5 |
| Journal | Archives of Environmental Health |
| Volume | 59 |
| Numéro de publication | 1 |
| DOI | |
| Statut de publication | Published - janv. 2004 |
| Publié à l'externe | Oui |
Note bibliographique
Funding Information:We are grateful to the Eastern Mediterranean Office of the World Health Organization for funding this study. PCSIR performed the lead analysis under contract. We acknowledge the assistance of the lead branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in standardization of the PCSIR laboratory’s generous analysis of the blood samples. The first author’s post as research fellow during the conduct of this study was supported in part by a grant to support international training and research in environmental health from the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, administered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in collaboration with the Aga Khan University.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- General Environmental Science
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
ODD de l’ONU
Cette action contribue à la réalisation des objectifs de développement durable suivants
