International Environmental Health for the Pediatrician: Case Study of Lead Poisoning

Childhood lead poisoning is a preventable illness. In the past 3 decades, removal of key lead sources and prevention of exposure in the United States have led to dramatic decreases in population blood lead concentrations and also in instances of severe lead poisoning requiring treatment. From an international perspective, childhood lead poisoning seems to be of greatest concern in developing countries. The phasing out of lead from gasoline is a critical first step in decreasing worldwide blood lead concentrations. However, many focal sources that can cause lead poisoning remain, such as lead from flour mills, lead-glazed ceramics, mining and smelting, and battery repair and recycling. A large and diverse country, such as India, may have many sources of lead. The challenge will be for developing countries to implement effective national and regional efforts to address their specific sources of lead.

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Childhood Lead Poisoning in the '90s

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.93.3.508 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

pp. 508-510

Author(s):

Sergio Piomelli

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Lead Poisoning ◽

Physiological Function ◽

Toxic Metal ◽

The United States ◽

Single Atom ◽

Childhood Lead Poisoning ◽

Environmental Lead ◽

The Past ◽

Environmental Threat

Lead is an extremely toxic metal: even a single atom of lead, once in the human body, binds to a protein and induces some damage; the greater the exposure, the more serious the effects. Lead has no physiological function; any amount of body lead reflects environmental pollution.1 In the 1990s, in the United States, is lead poisoning a devastating environmental threat to our children or is childhood lead poisoning a threat of the past? Probably neither of these statements is correct. It may be worthwhile to look at the current situation in detail. In the 1970s, before efforts were made to reduce environmental lead, common effects in children of the widespread environmental contamination with lead were encephalopathy and even death.

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Statement on Childhood Lead Poisoning

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.79.3.457 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 79 (3) ◽

pp. 457-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

◽

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Early Detection ◽

Lead Poisoning ◽

Lead Concentration ◽

Blood Lead ◽

The United States ◽

Blood Lead Concentration ◽

Childhood Lead Poisoning ◽

Lead Absorption ◽

Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin

Patterns of childhood lead poisoning have changed substantially in the United States. The mean blood lead level has declined, and acute intoxication with encephalopathy has become uncommon. Nonetheless, between 1976 and 1980, 780,000 children, 1 to 6 years of age, had blood lead concentrations of 30 µg/L or above. These levels of absorption, previously thought to be safe, are now known to cause loss of neurologic and intellectual function, even in asymptomatic children. Because this loss is largely irreversible and cannot fully be restored by medical treatment, pediatricians' efforts must be directed toward prevention. Prevention is achieved by reducing children's exposure to lead and by early detection of increased absorption. Childhood lead poisoning is now defined by the Academy as a whole blood lead concentration of 25 µg/L or more, together with an erythrocyte protoporphyrin level of 35 µg/dL or above. This definition does not require the presence of symptoms. It is identical with the new definition of the US Public Health Service. Lead poisoning in children previously was defined by a blood lead concentration of 30 µ/dL with an erythrocyte protoporphyrin level of 50 µg/dL. To prevent lead exposure in children, the Academy urges public agencies to develop safe and effective methods for the removal and proper disposal of all lead-based paint from public and private housing. Also, the Academy urges the rapid and complete removal of all lead from gasoline. To achieve early detection of lead poisoning, the Academy recommends that all children in the United States at risk of exposure to lead be screened for lead absorption at approximately 12 months of age by means of the erythrocyte protoporphyrin test, when that test is available. Furthermore, the Academy recommends follow-up erythrocyte protoporphyrin testing of children judged to be at high risk of lead absorption. Reporting of lead poisoning should be mandatory in all states.

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Transportation Fuel Resiliency: Case Study of Tampa Bay

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/03611981211041604 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 036119812110416

Author(s):

Alexander Kolpakov ◽

Austin Marie Sipiora ◽

Caley Johnson ◽

Erin Nobler

Keyword(s):

Alternative Fuels ◽

The United States ◽

Tampa Bay ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Transportation Fuel ◽

Fuel Supply ◽

Preparedness Planning ◽

The Past ◽

Hurricane Irma

This case study presents findings from an analysis of the emergency preparation and response for Hurricane Irma, the most recent hurricane impacting the Tampa Bay region. The Tampa Bay region, in particular, is considered one of the most vulnerable areas in the United States to hurricanes and severe tropical weather. A particular vulnerability stems from how all petroleum fuel comes to the area by marine transport through Port Tampa Bay, which can be (and has been in the past) impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms. The case study discussed in this paper covers previous fuel challenges, vulnerabilities, and lessons learned by key Tampa Bay public agency fleets during the past 10 years (mainly as a result of the most recent 2017 Hurricane Irma) to explore ways to improve the area’s resilience to natural disasters. Some of the strategies for fuel-supply resiliency include maintaining emergency fuel supply, prioritizing fuel use, strategically placing the assets around the region to help with recovery, investing in backup generators (including generators powered by alternative fuels), planning for redundancies in fuel supply networks, developing more efficient communication procedures between public fleets, hurricane preparedness-planning, and upgrading street drainage systems to reduce the threat of local flooding.

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Pool Cue Chalk: A Source of Environmental Lead

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.97.6.916 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 97 (6) ◽

pp. 916-917

Author(s):

Mary Beth Miller ◽

Steven C. Curry ◽

Donald B. Kunkel ◽

Patricia Arreola ◽

Ernest Arvizu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atomic Absorption ◽

Lead Poisoning ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Lead Content ◽

Elevated Blood ◽

Childhood Lead Poisoning ◽

Environmental Lead ◽

Lead Compounds ◽

Different Types ◽

Coloring Agents

Lead compounds are used as coloring agents for numerous products. Two cases of children with elevated blood lead concentrations encountered by the authors suggested that pool cue chalk may serve as a source of environmental lead. The objective of this study was to determine lead content of various brands and colors of pool cue chalk. Atomic absorption analyses were conducted of 23 different types of pool cue chalk for lead content. Three of 23 types of pool cue chalk contained more than 7000 ppm (mg/kg) lead: one manufacturer's green and tangerine chalk and another manufacturer's green chalk. It was concluded that some brands of pool cue chalk contain relatively large amounts of lead and could contribute to childhood lead poisoning.

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Childhood Lead Poisoning and Other People’s Children

Blaming Mothers ◽

10.18574/nyu/9780814724828.003.0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Linda C. Fentiman

Keyword(s):

Lead Poisoning ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Urban Areas ◽

The United States ◽

Childhood Lead Poisoning ◽

Core Group ◽

Lead Paint ◽

American Children ◽

American Legal System ◽

To Receive

This chapter examines childhood lead poisoning, which causes severe and irreversible cognitive and nervous system impairment, as well as behavioral problems, in more than half a million American children each year. While the United States has addressed some causes of lead poisoning, a core group of children, concentrated in poor, urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest, remains at high risk. In nearly every state, manufacturers of lead paint and other lead products have not been held responsible for this harm, even though they were aware of the risks of lead poisoning since the nineteenth century. Many landlords in lead poisoning cases succeed in shifting the blame from themselves to the tenants, arguing that mothers are the actual cause of harm to the child. Because the American legal system has traditionally preferred to find a single cause of harm that cuts off others’ responsibility, many children injured by exposure to lead fail to receive compensation and treatment for their injuries.

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Childhood Lead Poisoning in Russia: A Site-specific Pediatric Blood Lead Evaluation

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health ◽

10.1179/oeh.1997.3.4.241 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 241-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Carol H. Rubin ◽

Emilio Esteban ◽

Robert Jones ◽

Gary Noonan ◽

Elena Gurvich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lead Poisoning ◽

Blood Lead ◽

Site Specific ◽

Childhood Lead Poisoning ◽

A Site

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Global M&A and the Development of the IC Industry Ecosystem in China: What Can We Learn from the Case of Tsinghua Unigroup?

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11010106 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Yunhao Feng ◽

Jinxi Wu ◽

Peng He

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Information Industry ◽

Technological Improvement ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

International Mergers ◽

Technological Strength

The integrated circuit (IC) industry is the foundation of the information industry, and its level of development is an important manifestation of the economic and technological strength of a country. At present, the IC industry is primarily monopolised by developed countries. Although China is the world’s largest consumer of semiconductors, it has a disproportionately small international market share of production and a very low domestic chip self-sufficiency rate, lagging far behind Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The process of promoting the development of China’s IC industry ecosystem is discussed based on a case study of Tsinghua Unigroup and the observation and analysis of its recent international mergers and acquisitions. The resulting conclusions suggest valuable mechanisms that could benefit the technological improvement of late-developing countries and help them close the gap with more developed countries. Relevant theory for the industrial ecosystem is enriched, providing a useful reference for the development of the IC industry in late-developing countries.

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