Blood lead and cadmium levels and relevant factors among children from an e-waste recycling town in China.
BACKGROUND
Primitive electronic waste (e-waste) recycling is ongoing in Guiyu, and thus toxic heavy metals may keep on threatening to the health of local children. Some related factors may contribute to the elevation of blood lead levels (BLLs) or blood cadmium levels (BCLs).


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the children's BLLs and BCLs in Guiyu and Chendian as compare to discuss the effects of primitive e-waste recycling activities on children's health.


METHODS
Two hundred and seventy-eight children less than 8 years who lived in Guiyu and Chendian were observed, and their BLLs and BCLs were determined by graphite atomizer absorption spectrophotometer. Questionnaire survey for risk factors was also performed and data were analyzed using spearman correlation analyses and logistic regression analyses.


RESULTS
Children living in Guiyu had significantly higher BLLs and BCLs as compared with those living in Chendian (p<0.01). In Guiyu, 70.8% of children (109/154) had BLLs>10 microg/dL, and 20.1% of children (31/154) had BCLs>2 microg/L, compared with 38.7% of children (48/124) had BLLs>10 microg/dL and 7.3% of children (9/124) had BCLs>2 microg/L in Chendian (p<0.01, respectively). We also observed a significant increasing trend in BLLs with increasing age in Guiyu (p<0.01). Mean height of children in Guiyu was significantly lower than that in Chendian (p<0.01). The risk factors related to children's BLLs and BCLs mainly included father's engagement in the work related to e-waste, children's residence in Guiyu and the amount of time that children played outside near the road everyday.


CONCLUSIONS
There are close relationships between the BLLs, BCLs in children and the primitive e-waste recycling activities in Guiyu. Environmental pollution, especially lead pollution, has threatened the health of children living around e-waste recycling site.
Central Laboratory and Key Immunopathology Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, PR China.
Liangkai
L
Zheng
Kusheng
K
Wu
Yan
Y
Li
Zongli
Z
Qi
Dai
D
Han
Bao
B
Zhang
Chengwu
C
Gu
Gangjian
G
Chen
Junxiao
J
Liu
Songjian
S
Chen
Xijin
X
Xu
Xia
X
Huo
D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004581:Electronics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead