Lead exposure from households and school settings: influence of diet on blood lead levels

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 25; no. 31; pp. 31535 - 31542
• Main Authors: Leroux, Isabelle Nogueira, Ferreira, Ana Paula Sacone da Silva, Silva, Júlia Prestes da Rocha, Bezerra, Flávio Ferreira, da Silva, Fábio Ferreira, Salles, Fernanda Junqueira, Luz, Maciel Santos, de Assunção, Nílson Antônio, Cardoso, Maria Regina Alves, Olympio, Kelly Polido Kaneshiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Atomic absorption analysis; Atomic absorption spectroscopy; Blood; Blood levels; Body weight; Brazil; Central nervous system; Child, Preschool; Children; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Dietary Exposure - analysis; Drinking water; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Exposure; Family Characteristics; Female; Food Contamination - analysis; Health risk assessment; Households; Humans; Infant; Lead; Lead - analysis; Lead - blood; Lead content; Lead poisoning; Male; Parks, Recreational; Research Article; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Schools; Spectral analysis; Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Tableware; Toxicants; United States; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water Supply; X ray fluorescence analysis; X-ray fluorescence; Brazil; United States; Blood lead levels; Diet and environments; Lead exposure; Children’s health
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-3114-8

Lead is known as a potent toxicant to human health, particularly for children while their central nervous system is developing. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between blood lead levels (BLLs) and lead exposure in the children’s diet, home, and school environments. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 153 children aged 1–4 years, in four day care centers (DCCs), where a high prevalence of lead exposure was previously found. Lead determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) was performed for venous blood, drinking water collected in the DCCs, and the 24-h diet ( n  = 64). Environmental screenings were conducted to evaluate lead concentrations in the tableware, buildings, and playground items in all DCCs and children’s homes ( n  = 18) by using a field-portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer (FP-XRF). The BLL mean was 2.71 μg dL −1 . Means for 24-h lead concentrations in the diet were 1.61 and 2.24 μg kg −1 of body weight (BW) in two DCCs. Lead concentrations in the water supply were lower than 2 μg L −1 . More than 11% of the DCCs’ environmental analyses presented lead concentrations higher than or equal to 1 mg cm −2 , as defined by the USEPA. The diet was not found to be a risk factor for lead exposure, but households and DCC settings raised concern. Children’s exposure to lead in DCC environments, where they spend the most part of their weekdays, appeared to be relevant. Graphical abstract ᅟ