Health effects in children aged 3-6 years induced by environmental lead exposure.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the involvement of oxidative damage in lead-induced toxicity in children aged 3-6 years and to enlighten whether oxidative stress indicators are correlated with the known indices of lead toxicity.


METHODS
Blood samples were collected from 408 subjects (217 boys and 191 girls) in the urban kindergartens. The age range of the subjects was 3-6 years. Blood lead levels (BLLs) were analyzed by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Activities of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and contents of glutathione (GSH) in erythrocyte and levels of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed spectrophotometrically in these children.


RESULTS
Children with BLLs >or = 100 microg/L had significantly decreased erythrocyte ALAD activities and increased plasma MDA levels compared to the children with BLLs < 100 microg/L. No significant changes were observed in erythrocyte SOD and GSH-Px activities and GSH levels associated with elevated BLLs in these children.


CONCLUSIONS
Present data indicate that oxidative damage could be induced by lead in children with BLLs > or = 100 microg/L, and this may partly be attributed to the inhibited ALAD activities. Statistically significant changes of oxidative stress parameters in preschool children while BLLs were more than 100 microg/L could be implicated that oxidative damage might contribute to lead-induced intellectual impairment.
Jin
Yaping
Y
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People's Republic of China. jinyp@mail.cmu.edu.cn
Liao
Yingjun
Y
Lu
Chunwei
C
Li
Gexin
G
Yu
Fei
F
Zhi
Xuping
X
Xu
Jianhong
J
Liu
Shaoxia
S
Liu
Meimei
M
Yang
Jun
J
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase / Q000378:metabolism
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007854:Lead; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase