title: Evaluation of exposure to lead from drinking water in large buildings.
abstract: Lead results from 78,971 water samples collected in four Canadian provinces from elementary schools, daycares, and other large buildings using regulatory and investigative sampling protocols were analyzed to provide lead concentration distributions. Maximum concentrations reached 13,200 and 3890 μg/L following long and short stagnation periods respectively. High lead levels were persistent in some large buildings, reflected by high median values considering all taps, or specific to a few taps in the building. Simulations using the Integrated Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model and lead concentrations after 30 min of stagnation in the dataset showed that, for most buildings, exposure to lead at the tap does not increase children's blood lead levels (BLLs). However, buildings or taps with extreme concentrations represent a significant health risk to young children attending school or daycare, as the estimated BLL far exceeded the 5 μg/dL threshold. Ingestion of water from specific taps could lead to acute exposure. Finally, for a few taps, the total daily lead intake reached the former World Health Organization (WHO) tolerable level for adults, suggesting potential health risks.
authors.affiliation: Polytechnique Montreal, 2900 Boulevard Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada. Electronic address: e.deshommes@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deshommes
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, 35 St George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A4, Canada. Electronic address: andrews@ecf.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: Dalhousie University, 1360, Barrington St., Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: graham.gagnon@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2450 King St., PO Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1, Canada. Electronic address: tim.mccluskey@gnb.ca.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McCluskey
authors.affiliation: Dalhousie University, 1360, Barrington St., Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: bmcilwain@cbcl.ca.
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McIlwain
authors.affiliation: Polytechnique Montreal, 2900 Boulevard Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada. Electronic address: evelyne.dore@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doré
authors.affiliation: Polytechnique Montreal, 2900 Boulevard Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada. Electronic address: shokoufeh.nour@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Shokoufeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nour
authors.affiliation: Polytechnique Montreal, NSERC Industrial Chair in Drinking Water, 2900 Boulevard Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada. Electronic address: michele.prevost@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prévost
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D060766:Drinking Water; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D007854:Lead
keywords: Bloods lead levels (BLLs); Children; Risk of exposure; Schools; Tap water