Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Risk factors for children’s blood lead levels in metal mining and smelting communities in Armenia: a cross-sectional study

Authors: Ruzanna Grigoryan, Varduhi Petrosyan, Dzovinar Melkom Melkomian, Vahe Khachadourian, Andrew McCartor, Byron Crape

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Children’s exposure to lead poses a significant risk for neurobehavioral consequences. Existing studies documented lead contamination in residential soil in mining and smelting communities in Armenia. This study aimed to assess blood lead levels (BLL) in children living in three communities in Armenia adjacent to metal mining and smelting industries, and related risk factors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 159 children born from 2007 to 2009 and living in Alaverdi and Akhtala communities and Erebuni district in Yerevan - the capital city. The BLL was measured with a portable LeadCare II Blood Lead Analyzer; a survey was conducted with primary caregivers.

Results

Overall Geometric Mean (GM) of BLL was 6.0 μg/dl: 6.8 for Akhtala, 6.4 for Alaverdi and 5.1 for Yerevan. In the sample 68.6 % of children had BLL above CDC defined reference level of 5 μg/dl: 83.8 % in Akhtala, 72.5 % in Alaverdi, and 52.8 % in Yerevan. Caregiver’s lower education, dusting furniture less than daily, and housing distance from toxic source(s) were risk factors for higher BLL. Additional analysis for separate communities demonstrated interaction between housing distance from toxic source(s) and type of window in Erebuni district of Yerevan.

Conclusions

The study demonstrated that children in three communities adjacent to metal mining and smelting industries were exposed to lead. Investigation of the risk factors suggested that in addition to promoting safe industrial practices at the national level, community-specific interventions could be implemented in low- and middle-income countries to reduce BLL among children.
Literature
1.
Navas-Acien A, Guallar E, Silbergeld EK, Rothenberg SJ. Lead exposure and cardiovascular disease--a systematic review. Environ Health Perspect. 2007;115(3):472–82.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Canfield RL, Henderson CR, Cory-Slechta DA, Cox C, Jusko TA, Lanphear BP. Intellectual impairment in children with blood lead concentrations below 10 microg per deciliter. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(16):1517–26.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Malcoe LH, Lynch RA, Crozier Kegler M, Skaggs VJ. Lead sources, behaviors, and socioeconomic factors in relation to blood lead of native american and white children: a community-based assessment of a former mining area. Environ Heal Perspect. 2002;110:221–31.CrossRef
4.
5.
Parsons PJ, McIntosh KG. Human exposure to lead and new evidence of adverse health effects: implications for analytical measurements. Powder Diffr. 2012;25(02):175–81.CrossRef
6.
7.
Baghurst PA, Tong SL, McMichael AJ, Robertson EF, Wigg NR, Vimpani GV. Determinants of blood lead concentrations to age 5 years in a birth cohort study of children living in the lead smelting city of Port Pirie and surrounding areas. Arch Environ Health. 1992;47(3):203–10.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Clark S, Grote J, Wilson J, Succop P, Chen M, Galke W, McLaine P. Occurrence and determinants of increases in blood lead levels in children shortly after lead hazard control activities. Environ Res. 2004;96(2):196–205.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Dietrich KN, Krafft KM, Bornschein RL, Hammond PB, Berger O, Succop PA, Bier M. Low-level fetal lead exposure effect on neurobehavioral development in early infancy. Pediatrics. 1987;80(5):721–30.PubMed
10.
Lanphear BP, Roghmann KJ. Pathways of lead exposure in urban children. Environ Res. 1997;74(1):67–73.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Moralez LS, Gutierrez P, Escarce JJ. Demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with blood lead levels among Mexican-American children and adolescents in the United States. Public Health Rep. 2005;120(4):448–54.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Sanders AP, Miller SK, Nguyen V, Kotch JB, Fry RC. Toxic metal levels in children residing in a smelting craft village in Vietnam: a pilot biomonitoring study. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):114.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
13.
Xiao-hua X, Zang-wen T, Ni J, Zhao-yang F, Shuai-ming Z, Yan-yu L, Li C, Yao-hua D. Blood lead levels among children aged 0 to 6 years in 16 cities of China, 2004–2008. Chin Med J (Engl). 2013;126(12):2291–5.
14.
Gao W, Li Z, Kaufmann RB, Jones RL, Wang Z, Chen Y, Zhao X, Wang N. Blood lead levels among children aged 1 to 5 years in Wuxi City, China. Environ Res. 2001;87(1):11–9.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Stroh E, Lundh T, Oudin A, Skerfving S, Strömberg U. Geographical patterns in blood lead in relation to industrial emissions and traffic in Swedish children, 1978–2007. BMC Public Health. 2009;9(1):225.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
16.
Tong S, McMichael AJ. The magnitude, persistence and public health significance of cognitive effects of environmental lead exposure in childhood. J Environ Med. 1999;1(2):103–10.CrossRef
17.
National Statistical Service RA. Statistical yearbook of Armenia 2013. 2013.
18.
19.
Petrosyan V, Orlova A, Dunlap CE, Babayan E, Farfel M, Von Braun M. Lead in residential soil and dust in a mining and smelting district in northern Armenia: a pilot study. Environ Res. 2004;94(3):297–308.CrossRefPubMed
20.
RA Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and Armenian Development Agency. Mining industry in Armenia 2011. 2011.
21.
RA Ministry of Emergency Situatoins. Official answer No 7/17.4/66 86–13 to the letter of the member of coordinating council of Panarmenian Environmental Front L. Galstyan. 2013.
22.
RA Government. Decision N902 of December 31st, 2000. Armenia; 2000.
23.
Kurkjian R, Dunlapb C, Flegalb AR. Lead isotope tracking of atmospheric response to postindustrial conditions in Yerevan, Armenia. Atmos Environ. 2002;36:1421–9.CrossRef
24.
International Labor Office. White Lead. Studies and Reports Series F, no. 11. Geneva: Imprimarie Populaire Lausanne; 1927.
25.
26.
27.
Zoï Environment Network. Mining in Armenia. Zoi report. 2012.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Environmental Protection Agency. Lead; identification of dangerous levels of lead. Fed Regist Regul. 2001;66(4):1206–40.
33.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for collecting and handling blood lead samples. 2009.
34.
ESA Magellan Biosciences. LeadCare II blood lead analyzer: user’s guide. Chelmsford: ESA Biosciences; 2008.
35.
36.
Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for measuring lead in blood using point of care instruments. 2013.
37.
World Health Organisation (WHO). Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Report of a WHO expert committee. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1995;854:1–452.
38.
Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S. Applied Logistic Regression: Second edition. New York, USA: Wiley-Interscience; 2001.
39.
Bellinger D, Sloman J, Leviton A, Rabinowitz M, Needleman HL, Waternaux C. Low-level lead exposure and children’s cognitive function in the preschool years. Pediatrics. 1991;87(2):219–27.PubMed
40.
Davis JM. Risk assessment of the developmental neurotoxicity of lead. Neurotoxicology. 1990;11(2):285–91.PubMed
41.
Eubig PA, Aguiar A, Schantz SL. Lead and PCBs as risk factors for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(12):1654–67.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
42.
Pocock SJ, Smith M, Baghurst P. Environmental lead and children’s intelligence: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence. BMJ. 1994;309(6963):1189–97.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
43.
Gulson B, Anderson P, Taylor A. Surface dust wipes are the best predictors of blood leads in young children with elevated blood lead levels. Environ Res. 2013;126:171–8.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Petrosyan V. Initial site assessments in polluted communities in Armenia: presentation during in Ramazzini days 2014. 2014.
45.
Boseila SA, Gabr AA, Hakim IA. Blood lead levels in Egyptian children: influence of social and environmental factors. American Journal of Public Health. 2004;94(1):47–49.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Metadata
Title
Risk factors for children’s blood lead levels in metal mining and smelting communities in Armenia: a cross-sectional study
Authors
Ruzanna Grigoryan
Varduhi Petrosyan
Dzovinar Melkom Melkomian
Vahe Khachadourian
Andrew McCartor
Byron Crape
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3613-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

BMC Public Health 1/2016 Go to the issue

Research article

Predictors of homelessness among vulnerably housed adults in 3 Canadian cities: a prospective cohort study

Research article

Knowledge and perceptions of air pollution in Ningbo, China

Research article

Long-term effects of smoking on tooth loss after cessation among middle-aged Finnish adults: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

Research article

The health belief model and number of peers with internet addiction as inter-related factors of Internet addiction among secondary school students in Hong Kong

Research article

Spatiotemporal patterns of particulate matter (PM) and associations between PM and mortality in Shenzhen, China

Research article

Prevalence of and factors associated with anemia in school children from Maceió, northeastern Brazil