title: A Systematic Assessment of Blood Lead Level in Children and Associated Risk Factors in China.
abstract: In this study, we searched multiple databases for all relevant original articles (1996-2013). To investigate blood lead levels (BLL) and possible risk factors for lead exposure among children in China A total of 388 articles met our inclusion criteria. The overall geometric mean (GM) BLL was 71 µg/L, and the prevalence of elevated BLL (EBLL, defined as BLL ⋝ 100 µg/L) was 18.48% among children. The prevalence of EBLL remained significantly higher among boys. In children less than 6 years of age, there were significantly increasing trends in both BLL and prevalence of EBLL in an age-dependent manner. The ban on leaded gasoline significantly reduced the BLL as well as EBLL prevalence; however, children whose parents had lower educational levels or were exposed to lead in the workplace had a higher EBLL prevalence. Despite its decline over time, the average BLL among children in China remains higher than the average level most recently reported in the United States. Childhood lead poisoning remains a public health problem in China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Shao Xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DU
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Xiangnan College, Chenzhou 423000, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Li Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yong Yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Chun Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D007854:Lead