Exposure to lead by the oral and the pulmonary routes of children living in the vicinity of a primary lead smelter

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980 · Environ. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-9351(80)90121-8· OSTI ID:6637165

Roels, H A ^[1]; Buchet, J P; Lauwerys, R R; Bruaux, P; Claeys-Thoreau, F; Lafontaine, A; Verduyn, G

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1. Univ. of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

A medical survey was carried out among 11-year-old children attending schools situated less than 1 and 2.5 km from a lead smelter. Age-matched control children from a rural and urban area were examined at the same time. The blood lead levels (PbB) of the children living in the smelter area (mainly those attending schools located less than 1 km from the smelter) were higher than those of rural and urban children. The mean PbB levels were usually lower in girls than in boys, especially in the smelter area. Despite a slightly decreasing trend in the annual mean airborne lead concentration at less than 1 km (mean PbA: from 3.8 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ in 1974 to 2.3 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ in 1978) the PbB levels there did not improve, whereas 2.5 km from the plant a significant tendency to normalization of PbB became apparent. Therefore, in the third survey, the medical examination was combined with an environmental study which demonstrated that lead in school-playground dust and in air strongly correlated. Lead on the children's hands (PbH) was also significantly related to lead in air or lead in dust. Less than 1 km from the factory boys and girls had on the average 436 and 244 ..mu..g Pb/hand, respectively, vs 17.0 and 11.4 ..mu..g Pb/hand for rural boys and girls, respectively. Partial correlations between PbB, PbA, and PbH indicated that in the smelter area the quantitative contribution of PbA to the children's PbB is negligible compared to that of PbH. Thus, the control of airborne lead around the lead smelter is not sufficient to prevent excessive exposure of children to environmental lead. In view of the importance of lead transfer from dust and dirt via hands to the gastrointestinal tract remedial actions should be directed simultaneously against the atmospheric emission of lead by the smelter and against the lead particulates deposited on soil, dust, and dirt.

• OSTI ID: 6637165
• Journal Information: Environ. Res.; (United States), Vol. 22:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
LEAD
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BLOOD
CHILDREN
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
SMELTING
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560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)