Children’s Blood Lead Concentrations from 1988 to 2015 in Mexico City: The Contribution of Lead in Air and Traditional Lead-Glazed Ceramics

Despite the removal of lead from gasoline in 1997, elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) > 5 µg/dL are still detectable in children living in Mexico City. The use of lead-glazed ceramics may explain these persistent exposure levels. Mexico lacks a national surveillance program for BLL, but temporal trends can be derived from epidemiological studies. With this approach, we leveraged a series of birth cohorts to report BLL trends from 1987 to 2002 and expanded our analysis to 2015. Data were from 1–5-year-old children from five Mexico City cohorts followed between 1988 and 2015. BLLs are reported on 1963 children, who contributed 4975 BLLs. We estimated the trend of mean BLL, which decreased from 15.7 µg/dL in 1988, to 7.8 µg/dL in 1998 (a year after the total ban of lead in gasoline), to 1.96 µg/dL in 2015. The proportion of BLL ≥ 5 µg/dL decreased from 92% (1988–1998) to 8% (2008–2015). The use of lead-glazed ceramics was associated with an 11% increase in BLLs throughout the study period. Replacing lead-based glazes in traditional ceramics may be the key to further reducing exposure, but this presents challenges, as it involves a cultural tradition deeply rooted in Mexico. In addition, the creation of a rigorous, standardized, and on-going surveillance program of BLL is necessary for identifying vulnerable populations.

Lead in Air in Bangladesh: Exposure in a Rural Community with Elevated Blood Lead Concentrations among Young Children

Previous evaluations of a birth cohort in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh had found that over 85% of 397 children aged 2–3 years had blood lead concentrations above the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reference level of 5 μg/dL. Studies in urban areas of Bangladesh have found elevated levels of lead in the air due to industries and remaining contamination from the historic use of leaded gasoline. Sources of lead in rural areas of Bangladesh remain unknown. We conducted air sampling in both residential and industrial sites in Munshiganj to determine whether children are exposed to elevated lead concentrations in the air and study the association between the children’s blood lead levels and sampled air lead concentrations. Residential and industrial air samples in Munshiganj were found to have elevated lead concentrations (mean 1.22 μg/m3) but were not found to be associated with the observed blood lead concentrations. Lead in air is an important environmental health exposure risk to the for children in Munshiganj, and further research may shed light on specific sources to inform exposure prevention and mitigation programs.

BIOMONITORING PENCEMARAN UDARA MENGGUNAKAN BIOINDIKATOR LICHENES DI KOTA MADIUN

Bioindicators can be used to determine levels of air pollution of an area by analyzing the content of pollutants lead in bioindicators. Lichenes growing on the bark as bioindicators for measuring the concentration of lead in air pollutants resulting from motor vehicle emissions. The aim of research to determine differences in the levels of lead (Pb) using bioindicators Lichenes Madiun. Samples were taken by random sampling technique. Pb content measurement using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results showed Pb levels in different areas of the City of Madiun there are significant differences. Traffic levels affect the levels of Pb .

Enrichment of Lead Element from Air Using Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane Prepared by Co-Electrospinning of Dithizone with Polystyrene

The objective of this study was to compare the enrichment performanc of polystyrene-dithizone (PS-DZ) electrospun nanofibrous membrane with commercial cellulose acetate (CA) film for lead in air. Lead was analyzed by preconcentration on different membranes followed by digestion and analysis by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry. In comparison to CA film, the PS-DZ electrospun nanofibrous membrane exhibited a significant advantage in enrichment efficiency (about threefold increase). The result confirms that electrospun nanofibrous membrane can be a potential candidate for the sampling of metals in air.