title: Childhood Lead Exposure from Battery Recycling in Vietnam.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Battery recycling facilities in developing countries can cause community lead exposure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate child lead exposure in a Vietnam battery recycling craft village after efforts to shift home-based recycling outside the village.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study evaluated 109 children in Dong Mai village, using blood lead level (BLL) measurement, parent interview, and household observation. Blood samples were analyzed with a LeadCare II field instrument; highest BLLs (≥45 μg/dL) were retested by laboratory analysis. Surface and soil lead were measured at 11 households and a school with X-ray fluorescence analyzer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All children had high BLLs; 28% had BLL ≥45 μg/dL. Younger age, family recycling, and outside brick surfaces were associated with higher BLL. Surface and soil lead levels were high at all tested homes, even with no recycling history. Laboratory BLLs were lower than LeadCare BLLs, in 24 retested children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In spite of improvements, lead exposure was still substantial and probably associated with continued home-based recycling, legacy contamination, and workplace take-home exposure pathways. There is a need for effective strategies to manage lead exposure from battery recycling in craft villages. These reported BLL values should be interpreted cautiously, although the observed field-laboratory discordance may reflect bias in laboratory results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Daniell
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, 57 Le Quy Don, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Lo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Tung
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Washington, Box 356340, Seattle, WA 98195, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195, USA ; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Karonga Prevention Study, P.O. Box 46, Chilumba, Karonga District, Malawi.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Havens
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Box 354695, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Karr
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, 57 Le Quy Don, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nguyen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bich Diep
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 354695, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Gerry A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Croteau
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Box 359739, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Beaudet
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, 57 Le Quy Don, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nguyen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duy Bao
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D059027:Recycling; D012424:Rural Population; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007854:Lead