title: Isotopic ratio based source apportionment of children's blood lead around coking plant area.
abstract: Lead exposure in the environment is a major hazard affecting human health, particularly for children. The blood lead levels in the local children living around the largest coking area in China were measured, and the source of blood lead and the main pathways of lead exposure were investigated based on lead isotopic ratios ((207)Pb/(206)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb) in blood and in a variety of media, including food, airborne particulate matter, soil, dust and drinking water. The children's blood lead level was 5.25 (1.59 to 34.36 as range) μg dL(-1), lower than the threshold in the current criteria of China defined by the US Centers for Disease Control (10 μg dL(-1)). The isotopic ratios in the blood were 2.111±0.018 for (208)Pb/(206)Pb and 0.864±0.005 for (207)Pb/(206)Pb, similar to those of vegetables, wheat, drinking water, airborne particulate matter, but different from those of vehicle emission and soil/dust, suggesting that the formers were the main pathway of lead exposure among the children. The exposure pathway analysis based on the isotopic ratios and the human health risk assessment showed that dietary intake of food and drinking water contributed 93.67% of total exposed lead. The study further indicated that the coal used in the coking plant is the dominant pollution source of lead in children's blood.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Suzhen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China. Electronic address: duan_jasmine@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Xiuge
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Beibei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Delong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
authors.forename: Chengye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing 100012, China. Electronic address: wfs851317@163.com.
authors.forename: Fusheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Guibin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis; D003077:Coke; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007554:Isotopes / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D003077:Coke; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007554:Isotopes; D007854:Lead
keywords: Blood lead level; Children; Coking plant; Exposure source; Isotopic ratios