Risk factors for children’s blood lead levels in metal mining and smelting communities in Armenia: a cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Andrew McCartor¹  Vahe Khachadourian²  Dzovinar Melkom Melkomian³  Byron Crape³  Ruzanna Grigoryan³  Varduhi Petrosyan³ 

[1] Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth, New York, USA;Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA;School of Public Health, American University of Armenia, 40 Marshal Baghramian Avenue, 0019, Yerevan, Armenia;

关键词: Blood lead level;    Children;    Smelting;    Metal Mining;    Lead exposure;    Lead contamination;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-016-3613-9

 received in 2016-02-09, accepted in 2016-08-30,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChildren’s exposure to lead poses a significant risk for neurobehavioral consequences. Existing studies documented lead contamination in residential soil in mining and smelting communities in Armenia. This study aimed to assess blood lead levels (BLL) in children living in three communities in Armenia adjacent to metal mining and smelting industries, and related risk factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 159 children born from 2007 to 2009 and living in Alaverdi and Akhtala communities and Erebuni district in Yerevan - the capital city. The BLL was measured with a portable LeadCare II Blood Lead Analyzer; a survey was conducted with primary caregivers.ResultsOverall Geometric Mean (GM) of BLL was 6.0 μg/dl: 6.8 for Akhtala, 6.4 for Alaverdi and 5.1 for Yerevan. In the sample 68.6 % of children had BLL above CDC defined reference level of 5 μg/dl: 83.8 % in Akhtala, 72.5 % in Alaverdi, and 52.8 % in Yerevan. Caregiver’s lower education, dusting furniture less than daily, and housing distance from toxic source(s) were risk factors for higher BLL. Additional analysis for separate communities demonstrated interaction between housing distance from toxic source(s) and type of window in Erebuni district of Yerevan.ConclusionsThe study demonstrated that children in three communities adjacent to metal mining and smelting industries were exposed to lead. Investigation of the risk factors suggested that in addition to promoting safe industrial practices at the national level, community-specific interventions could be implemented in low- and middle-income countries to reduce BLL among children.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016