title: Lead exposure among Malaysian school children using delta-aminolevulinic acid as an indicator.
abstract: A study on lead exposure among school children aged between 7 and 12 years from Kajang and Sepang in the state of Selangor, Malaysia was carried out using delta-aminolevulinic acid (delta-ALA) levels in the urine as an index. The delta-ALA levels in urine were linked to variables which could contribute to lead exposure. Out of 1628 school children studied [Kajang (43.5%) and Sepang (56.5%)], only 194 subjects (16 and 8.8% from Kajang and Sepang, respectively) had urinary delta-ALA levels between 0.6 and 2.0 mg/100 ml. However, chi 2 analysis demonstrated significant association between delta-ALA of this group to some of the variables. The strongest association was found in the habit of biting fingernails (P < 0.025). Other statistically significant correlations were found between delta-ALA and father's occupation (P < 0.05) and the amount of time spent playing in the field (P < 0.01). Generally, this study indicates that school children in Kajang and Sepang are still relatively safe from excessively high lead exposure. However, a more sensitive indicator, which is based on a lower tolerable lead limits, such as lead in blood, are necessary to affirm this finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Ming
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surif
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdullah
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005006:Ethnicity; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009259:Nail Biting; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012016:Reference Values; D012423:Rural Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D007854:Lead; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid