Contaminated Turmeric Is a Potential Source of Lead Exposure for Children in Rural Bangladesh

Background.During the conduct of a cohort study intended to study the associations between mixed metal exposures and child health outcomes, we found that 78% of 309 children aged 20–40 months evaluated in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh had blood lead concentrations ≥5 µg/dL and 27% had concentrations ≥10 µg/dL.Hypothesis.Environmental sources such as spices (e.g., turmeric, which has already faced recalls in Bangladesh due to high lead levels) may be a potential route of lead exposure.Methods.We conducted visits to the homes of 28 children randomly selected from among high and low blood lead concentration groups. During the visits, we administered a structured questionnaire and obtained soil, dust, rice, and spice samples. We obtained water samples from community water sources, as well as environmental samples from neighborhood businesses.Results.Lead concentrations in many turmeric samples were elevated, with lead concentrations as high as 483 ppm. Analyses showed high bioaccessibility of lead.Conclusions.Contamination of turmeric powder is a potentially important source of lead exposure in this population.

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Fetal and Infant Lead Exposure: Effects on Growth in Stature

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.84.4.604 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 84 (4) ◽

pp. 604-612

Author(s):

Rakesh Shukla ◽

Robert L. Bornschein ◽

Kim N. Dietrich ◽

C. R. Buncher ◽

Omer G. Berger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Longitudinal Analysis ◽

Lead Exposure ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Lead Concentration ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Maternal Blood ◽

Blood Lead Concentration ◽

Blood Lead Levels ◽

Lead Levels

The growth of a cohort of 260 infants was prospectively followed up from birth. Blood lead and stature measurements were obtained every 3 months until 15 months of age. Fetal lead exposure was indexed by measuring lead in maternal blood during pregnancy. A longitudinal analysis revealed that covariate adjusted growth rates in stature were negatively related to the infants' postnatal blood lead concentration, as indexed by increase in average blood lead values from 3 to 15 months. However, this relationship between growth rate and change in blood lead concentration was evidenced only among those infants whose mothers had prenatal blood lead levels greater than the maternal cohort median of 7.7 γg/dL (P = .01). The expected stature of a child born to a mother with a prenatal blood lead concentration more than 7.7 γg/dL is about 2 cm shorter at 15 months of age if, postnatally, the infant incurred a 10-γg/dL blood lead increase during the 3-to 15-month interval of life, compared with an infant who has no increase.

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Determinants of bone and blood lead levels among teenagers living in urban areas with high lead exposure.

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp.106-1533491 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 106 (11) ◽

pp. 733-737 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

P Farias

Keyword(s):

Lead Exposure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Blood Lead Levels ◽

Lead Levels ◽

High Lead

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Organic Lead Toxicology

Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove Czech Republic) ◽

10.14712/18059694.2017.26 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 209-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jiří Patočka

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Lead Exposure ◽

Blood Lead ◽

High Exposure ◽

Lead Compounds ◽

Working Environments ◽

Occupational Setting ◽

Organic Lead ◽

Lead Levels ◽

High Lead

Lead is one of the oldest known and most widely studied occupational and environmental poison. Despite intensive study, there is still debate about the toxic effects of lead, both from low-level exposure in the general population owing to environmental pollution and historic use of lead in paint and plumbing and from exposure in the occupational setting. Significant position have organic lead compounds used more than 60 years as antiknock additives in gasoline. Chemical and toxicological characteristics of main tetraalkyl leads used as gasoline additives are discussed in this article. The majority of industries historically associated with high lead exposure have made dramatic advances in their control of occupational exposure. However, cases of unacceptably high exposure and even of frank lead poisoning are still seen, predominantly in the demolition and tank cleaning industries. Nevertheless, in most industries blood lead levels have declined below levels at which signs or symptoms are seen and the current focus of attention is on the subclinical effects of exposure. The significance of some of these effects for the overt health of the workers is often the subject of debate. Inevitably there is pressure to reduce lead exposure in the general population and in working environments, because current studies show that no level of lead exposure appears to be a ‘safe’ and even the current ‘low’ levels of exposure, especially in children, are associated with neurodevelopmental deficits.

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Lead Environmental Pollution and Childhood Lead Poisoning at Ban Thi Commune, Bac Kan Province, Vietnam

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2018/5156812 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Doan Ngoc Hai ◽

Lo Van Tung ◽

Duong Khanh Van ◽

Ta Thi Binh ◽

Ha Lan Phuong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Lead Poisoning ◽

Lead Exposure ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Lead Concentration ◽

Lead Level ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Total Blood ◽

Lead Levels

Lead poisoning is a public health problem in many areas of the world. Children are at particularly high risk for adverse effects of lead exposure; even at low concentrations, lead can affect physical, mental, and behavioral development. Children living near lead-zinc mines are at high risk for environmental lead poisoning, especially the contaminated soil. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study in Ban Thi Commune, northern Vietnam. 195 children (92,9% participation) aged 3-14 years old (average: 7.69 ± 2.90) were randomly selected from a list of all children prepared by the village health collaborators. 109 (55.90%) were boys and 86 (44.10%) were girls. The research measures were the lead concentration in native soil and the children’s total blood lead concentration determined by the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. The results showed that lead content in soil was many times higher than American Environmental Protection Agency and Vietnam standards (average 2980.23 ± 6092.84 mg/kg dry weight of soil (range 80.05 – 33820.62)). Average blood lead levels for children were 15.42 ± 6.45 μg/dL (95% CI: 14.50 -16.33 μg/dL). The percentage of children with lead levels >10 μg/dL (value considered to be lead poisoning for children according to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam) was 79.49% of the total number of children. None of the children in this study had blood lead level (BLL) that required chelation treatment according to Vietnam MOH guideline (BLL ≥45 μg/dL). There is weakly evidence that lead exposure relates to the physical development of children. Children with low lead concentrations (less than 10 μg/dL) had height and weight of 1.47-3.51 cm and 1.19-2.81 kg, greater than those with BLL >10 μg/dL (p>0.05).

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A Study on the Association between Blood Lead Levels and Habitual Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Koreans with No Occupational Lead Exposure

Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.35371/kjoem.2008.20.3.165 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 165 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Ji Ung Park ◽

Se Won Oh ◽

Seung Hyun Kim ◽

Yang Hyun Kim ◽

Ryoung Jin Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Lead Exposure ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Blood Lead Levels ◽

Occupational Lead Exposure ◽

Lead Levels

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Blood lead level and risk of hypertension in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2016

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82435-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Man Fung Tsoi ◽

Chris Wai Hang Lo ◽

Tommy Tsang Cheung ◽

Bernard Man Yung Cheung

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Lead Exposure ◽

Blood Lead Level ◽

Lead Level ◽

Blood Lead ◽

The United States ◽

Study Data ◽

Blood Lead Levels ◽

Environmental Lead ◽

Lead Levels

AbstractLead is a heavy metal without a biological role. High level of lead exposure is known to be associated with hypertension, but the risk at low levels of exposure is uncertain. In this study, data from US NHANES 1999–2016 were analyzed. Adults with blood lead and blood pressure measurements, or self-reported hypertension diagnosis, were included. If not already diagnosed, hypertension was defined according to the AHA/ACC 2017 hypertension guideline. Results were analyzed using R statistics version 3.5.1 with sample weight adjustment. Logistic regression was used to study the association between blood lead level and hypertension. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated. Altogether, 39,477 participants were included. Every doubling in blood lead level was associated with hypertension (OR [95%CI] 1.45 [1.40–1.50]), which remained significant after adjusting for demographics. Using quartile 1 as reference, higher blood lead levels were associated with increased adjusted odds of hypertension (Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1: 1.22 [1.09–1.36]; Quartile 3 vs. Quartile 1: 1.15 [1.04–1.28]; Quartile 2 vs. Quartile 1: 1.14 [1.05–1.25]). In conclusion, blood lead level is associated with hypertension in the general population with blood lead levels below 5 µg/dL. Our findings suggest that reducing present levels of environmental lead exposure may bring cardiovascular benefits by reducing blood pressure.

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