ABSTRACT
The rural environment is not as wholesome as some might think. In fact, smoking, drinking, illicit drug use, and obesity are more prevalent in rural than in urban youngsters. Childhood mortality is higher in rural areas, with drowning, motor vehicle accidents, firearm injuries, and farm machinery accidents as the leading causes. Air and water quality are monitored less and actually may be worse in the country than in urban areas. This article describes children's health problems associated with the rural environment and provides a list of resources for addressing these problems.
Subject(s)
Child Welfare , Environmental Illness/epidemiology , Health Status , Rural Population/statistics & numerical data , Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data , Agricultural Workers' Diseases/epidemiology , Air , Child , Drowning/epidemiology , Environmental Exposure/adverse effects , Humans , Life Style , Obesity/epidemiology , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Risk Factors , United States/epidemiology , Water/standardsABSTRACT
A 6-month-old child presented to a local pediatrician with an elevated blood lead level (BLL) of 41 microg/dL. The child was treated as an outpatient for chelation therapy by a toxicologist. Subsequent BLLs obtained at 8 and 13 months of age were 40 microg/dL and 42 microg/dL, respectively. Siblings and family members had BLLs < 5 microg/dL except for the mother, who had a BLL of 14 microg/dL when the child was 6 months of age. Home inspections and phone calls to the family revealed no sources of lead from paint, dust, toys, mini-blinds, keys, food, water, or any take-home exposure. The family denied use of folk remedies such as Greta and Azarcon. The child was breast-fed, but the mother's BLL was not sufficiently high to explain the elevated BLL in the child. Housekeeping was excellent. The mother did admit to cooking beans in Mexican pottery (pieces found outside were positive for lead), but she discontinued use after the initial lead check at 6 months. The bean pot was not a likely source, as none of the family had elevated BLLs including a 5-year-old sister. Follow-up testing of blood lead when the child was 15 months of age revealed values of 28 microg/dL for the child and 9 microg/dL for the mother. Subsequent testing of the child shows a slow decline. The slow release of lead suggests depletion of bone stores acquired during pregnancy, possibly due to pica behavior of the mother during pregnancy.
