Study on the effects of lead from small industry of battery recycling on environment and children's health / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>In order to minimize lead pollution and to protect the identified individuals with high blood lead level from lead contamination, an epidemiological study was carried on children living around the village and township-owned lead industries in Tianying town.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Environmental monitoring: lead levels in air, soil, drinking water and crops were measured. Biological monitoring: 959 children aged 5 - 12 years were selected from villages where the lead smelters located near the residential areas and the battery disassembling was done in some families. The control children (207 pupils) were from other villages without lead exposure. Blood lead, ZnPP and teeth lead were determined. Height, weight and head circle of children and IQ scores were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The environment was seriously polluted. The average lead concentrations in air and soils were 8.5 times and 10 times of the MACs (national health standard) respectively. Eighty-five per cent the air samples with lead concentrations higher than the national health standard. Local crops and wheat at farmers' home were also contaminated by lead dust, with. Lead content being 24 times higher than the standard. The mean blood lead and ZnPP levels of children lived in the polluted areas were 496 microgram/L and 9.41 microgram/g Hb respectively. The lead exposure caused adverse effects on children's IQ and physical development.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is necessary to remove and reduce currently active sources of lead pollution in the community and to increase public awareness of potential health effects of lead exposure.</p>

A molecular epidemiological study of childhood lead poisoning in lead-polluted environment / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The relationship between polymorphisms of ALAD and VDR genes and individual susceptibility of lead poisoning was investigated in children highly-exposed to lead.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Four hundred and sixty-nine children were recruited into this study and the blood lead, ZPP, hemoglobin as well as three physical developmental indexes (head circumference, height and weight) were measured. VDR and ALAD gene polymorphisms were analyzed by the methods of PCR-RFLP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The subjects with ALAD2 allele had higher ZPP level (10.12 micro mol/L vs 12.87 micro mol/L) (P = 0.017). The subjects with B allele has larger head circumference than only with b allele (51.19 cm vs 50.75 cm) (P = 0.028).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It was suggested that the ALAD gene polymorphism modified the relationship between blood lead and ZPP and the VDR gene variants influenced the skull development in children living under lead-polluted environment. The polymorphism of ALAD and VDR genes might serve as the molecular inherited factors modifying the susceptibility of lead poisoning.</p>