Blood lead levels in children living in three communities, at different risks of lead pollution.
We carried out a survey on blood lead levels in children living in three different communities in Umbria, Italy: Corciano, a small community (12,500 inhabitants), free of lead-using factories and with light traffic; Perugia, a medium-sized city (146,500 inhabitants); Deruta, a small community (7500 inhabitants) whose economy is based mainly on the production of artistic pottery, mostly in small home-operated factories. The study sample was made up of 539 children (275 boys and 264 girls); 156 of them attended nursery school (aged 3-6) and 383 primary school (aged 6-11). The mean blood lead level was significantly higher in Deruta than in Corciano (9.7 vs 8.3 micrograms/dl); Deruta children whose parents were occupationally exposed to lead had significantly higher blood lead levels than children of lead-unexposed parents (10.7 vs 9.0 micrograms/dl). The mean blood lead level was higher in Perugia than in Corciano children. On the average boys had higher blood lead levels than girls in all of the groups. We conclude that blood lead levels were low in the groups of children studied. Nevertheless children of ceramic workers and children living in a medium-sized city had greater lead absorption than children living in the control area.
Abbritti
G
G
Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università di Perugia, Italy.
Cicioni
C
C
Gambelunghe
M
M
Fiordi
T
T
Accattoli
M P
MP
Morucci
P
P
Bellucci
E
E
Bauleo
F A
FA
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007854:Lead