Top

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research article

Oral exposure to lead for Japanese children and pregnant women, estimated using duplicate food portions and house dust analyses

Authors: Mayumi Ohtsu, Nathan Mise, Akihiko Ikegami, Atsuko Mizuno, Yayoi Kobayashi, Yoshihiko Nakagi, Keiko Nohara, Takahiko Yoshida, Fujio Kayama

Published in: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine | Issue 1/2019

Abstract

Background

Lead is a toxic metal abundant in the environment. Consumption of food contaminated at low levels of lead, especially by small children and pregnant women, raises a health concern.

Methods

Duplicated food portions and drinking water were collected over 3 days from 88 children and 87 pregnant women in Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan. Participants were recruited in this study between January 2014 and October 2015. Dust was also collected from their homes. Lead concentrations were measured and consequent oral lead exposure levels were estimated for this population at high risk to environmental toxicants. Lead concentrations of peripheral and cord blood, taken from children and pregnant women, and were also analyzed.

Results

Lead concentrations in food, drinking water, and house dust were low in general. Oral lead exposure to lead was higher for children (Mean ± SEM; 5.21 ± 0.30 μg/kg BW/week) than in pregnant women (1.47 ± 0.13 μg/kg BW/week). Food and house dust were main sources of lead contamination, but the contribution of house dust widely varied. Means ± SEM of peripheral and cord blood lead concentrations were 0.69 ± 0.04 μg/dL and 0.54 ± 0.05 μg/dL, respectively for pregnant women and 1.30 ± 0.07 μg/dL (peripheral only) in children. We detect no correlation between smoking situations and blood lead concentration in pregnant women.

Conclusion

We conclude that oral lead exposure levels for Japanese children and pregnant women were generally low, with higher concentrations and exposure for children than for pregnant women. More efforts are necessary to clarify the sources of lead contamination and reduce lead exposure of the population at high risk even in Japan.

Available only for authorised users

SAFETY IPOC. INORGANIC LEAD. Environmental health criteria 165 1995; Available from: http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc165.htm. (accessed Aug 15, 2019).

Yoshinaga J, et al. Blood lead levels of contemporary Japanese children. Environ Health Prev Med. 2012 Jan;17(1):27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-011-0216-z.CrossRefPubMed

Wakamatsu S, et al. Air pollution trends in Japan between 1970 and 2012 and impact of urban air pollution countermeasures. Asian J Atmosph Environ. 2013;7(4):177. https://doi.org/10.5572/ajae.2013.7.4.177.CrossRef

Rodier PM. Developing brain as a target of toxicity. Environ Health Perspect. 1995;103(Supplemet 6):73. https://doi.org/10.2307/3432351.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Hines RN, et al. Approaches for assessing risks to sensitive populations: lessons learned from evaluating risks in the pediatric population. Toxicol Sci. 2009;113(1):4. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfp217.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Yoshinaga J. Lead in the Japanese living environment. Environ Health Prev Med. 2012;17(6):433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-012-0280-z.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Centers for Diesease Control and Prevention Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call of Primary Prevention. 2012. Available from : https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/final_document_030712.pdf (accessed Aug 15, 2019).

Wigg NR. Low-level lead exposure and children. J Paediatr Child Health. 2001 Oct;37(5):423. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1754.2001.00683.x.CrossRefPubMed

Schwartz J. Low-level lead exposure and children′s IQ: a metaanalysis and search for a threshold. Environ Res. 1994;65(1):42. https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.1994.1020.CrossRefPubMed

10.

Needleman HL, et al. Low-level lead-exposure and the IQ of children—a meta-analysis of modern studies. J Am Med Assoc. 1992;263(5):673. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1990.03440050067035.CrossRef

11.

Mendelsohn AL, et al. Low-level lead exposure and behavior in early childhood. Pediatrics. 1998 Mar;101(3):e10. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.101.3.e10.CrossRefPubMed

12.

Mendelsohn AL, et al. Low-level lead exposure and cognitive development in early childhood. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1999;20(6):425.CrossRef

13.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing lead poisoning in young children. 2015. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/publications/PrevLeadPoisoning.pdf. (accessed Aug 15 2019).

14.

Lanphear BP, et al. Low-level environmental lead exposure and children’s intellectual function: an international pooled analysis. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jul;113(7):894. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7688.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

15.

Ziegler EE, et al. Absorption and retention of lead by infants. Pediatr Res. 1978 Jan;12(1):29. https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197801000-00008.CrossRefPubMed

16.

Gardella C. Lead exposure in pregnancy: a review of the literature and argument for routine prenatal screening. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2001;56(4):231.CrossRef

17.

Goyer RA. Transplacental transport of lead. Environ Health Perspect. 1990 Nov;89:101. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.9089101.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

18.

Shah-Kulkarni S, et al. Neurodevelopment in early childhood affected by prenatal lead exposure and iron intake. Medicine. 2016;95(4) https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000002508.CrossRef

19.

Saoudi A, et al. Prenatal exposure to lead in France: cord-blood levels and associated factors: results from the perinatal component of the French longitudinal study since childhood (Elfe). Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018;221(3):441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.01.007.CrossRefPubMed

20.

Rosen-Carole CB, et al. Low-level prenatal toxin exposures and breastfeeding duration: a prospective cohort study. Matern Child Health J. 2017 Dec;21(12):2245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2346-4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

21.

Jedrychowski W, et al. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in pregnancy and lead level in maternal blood at delivery. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2006;19(4):205.CrossRef

22.

Iwai-Shimada M, et al. Exposure profile of mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, copper, selenium and zinc in maternal blood, cord blood and placenta: the Tohoku study of child development in Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2019 May;24(1):35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0783-y.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

23.

Tsuji M, et al. Associations between metal concentrations in whole blood and placenta previa and placenta accreta: the Japan environment and Children's study (JECS). Environ Health Prev Med. 2019 Jun;24(1):40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0795-7.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

24.

Bellinger DC. Lead. Pediatrics. 2004;113(4 Suppl):1016.PubMed

25.

Tong S, et al. Environmental lead exposure: a public health problem of global dimensions. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78(9):1068.PubMedPubMedCentral

26.

Takagi M, et al. Isotope ratio analysis of lead in blood and environmental samples by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Anal Sci. 2011;27(1):29. https://doi.org/10.2116/analsci.27.29.CrossRefPubMed

27.

Apostolou A, et al. Secondhand tobacco smoke: a source of lead exposure in US children and adolescents. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(4):714. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2011.300161.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

28.

Ashraf MW. Levels of heavy metals in popular cigarette brands and exposure to these metals via smoking. Sci World J. 2012;2012:729430. https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/729430.CrossRef

29.

Prokopowicz A, et al. Exposure to cadmium and lead in cigarette smokers who switched to electronic cigarettes. Nicotine Tob Res. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/nty161.CrossRef

30.

Fatmi Z, et al. Lead exposure assessment among pregnant women, newborns, and children: case study from Karachi, Pakistan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(4):413. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14040413.CrossRefPubMedCentral

31.

Ikegami A, et al. External lead contamination of women's nails by surma in Pakistan: is the biomarker reliable? Environ Pollut. 2016 Nov;218:723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.07.068.CrossRefPubMed

32.

Mise N, et al. Hijiki seaweed consumption elevates levels of inorganic arsenic intake in Japanese children and pregnant women. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2019;36(1):84. https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2018.1562228.CrossRefPubMed

33.

Aung NN, et al. Exposure assessment of lead among Japanese children. Environ Health Prev Med. 2004;9(6):257. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898139.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

34.

Watanabe T, et al. High cadmium and low lead exposure of children in Japan. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2013;86(8):865. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0821-1.CrossRefPubMed

35.

U.S. EPA. Exposure Factors Handbook: 2011 Edition (Final ReporT). Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2011. EPA/600/R-09/052F, 2011

36.

Takagi M, et al. Risk assessment of chemical exposure via house dust ingestion in Japanese children. Indoor Environ. 2009;12(2):103. https://doi.org/10.7879/siej.12.103.CrossRef

37.

Chelchowska M, et al. Tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy increases maternal blood lead levels affecting neonate birth weight. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2013;155(2):169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-013-9775-8.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

38.

Suzuki J, et al. Concentration of trace elements in bottled drinking water. (in Japanese). J Food Hyg Soc Japan. 2000;41(6):387. https://doi.org/10.3358/shokueishi.41.387.CrossRef

39.

Kim DW, et al. Estimated long-term dietary exposure to lead, cadmium, and mercury in young Korean children. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014;68(12):1322. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.116.CrossRefPubMed

40.

Leroux IN, et al. Lead, cadmium, and arsenic bioaccessibility of 24 h duplicate diet ingested by preschool children attending day care centers in Brazil. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(8) https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081778.CrossRef

41.

Liu P, et al. Dietary intake of lead and cadmium by children and adults—result calculated from dietary recall and available lead/cadmium level in food in comparison to result from food duplicate diet method. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2010;213(6):450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2010.07.002.CrossRefPubMed

42.

Wang CN, et al. Dietary exposure to lead by children and adults in the Jinhu area of China. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2009;26(6):821. https://doi.org/10.1080/02652030802714000.CrossRefPubMed

43.

Pysz K, et al. Chemical assessment of lead, cadmium, nitrate, and nitrite intakes with daily diets of children and adolescents from orphanages in Krakow. Poland Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016;23(24):25200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7550-z.CrossRefPubMed

44.

Nakayama SF, et al. Benefits of cooperation among large-scale cohort studies and human biomonitoring projects in environmental health research: an exercise in blood lead analysis of the environment and child health international birth cohort group. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2019;222(8):1059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.07.005.CrossRefPubMed

45.

Koike Y. Protecting the people from passive smoking. 2018. Available from: http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/english/governor/speeches/2018/0612/02.html. (Accessed Aug 15, 2019).

46.

Kaji M. Blood lead levels in Japanese children—effects of passive smoking. Biomed Res Trace Elem. 2007;18(3):199. https://doi.org/10.11299/brte.18.199.CrossRef

47.

Sterling DA, et al. Evaluation of four sampling methods for determining exposure of children to lead-contaminated household dust. Environ Res. 1999;81(2):130. https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.1999.3962.CrossRefPubMed

48.

Takaoka M, et al. Influence of paint chips on lead concentration in the soil of public playgrounds in Tokyo. J Environ Monit. 2006;8(3) https://doi.org/10.1039/b517227f.CrossRef

49.

Guney M, et al. Estimating children's exposure to toxic elements in contaminated toys and children's jewelry via saliva mobilization. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2014;49(11):1218. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2014.910028.CrossRefPubMed

50.

Guney M, et al. Heavy metals in toys and low-cost jewelry: critical review of U.S. and Canadian legislations and recommendations for testing. Environ Sci Technol. 2012;46(8):4265. https://doi.org/10.1021/es203470x.CrossRefPubMed

51.

Njati SY, et al. Lead-based paints and children's PVC toys are potential sources of domestic lead poisoning—a review. Environ Pollut. 2019;249:1091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.062.CrossRefPubMed

52.

Shen Z, et al. Lead-based paint in children's toys sold on China's major online shopping platforms. Environ Pollut. 2018;241:311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.05.078.CrossRefPubMed

53.

Harville EW, et al. Factors influencing the difference between maternal and cord blood lead. Occup Environ Med. 2005;62(4):263. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2003.012492.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Title: Oral exposure to lead for Japanese children and pregnant women, estimated using duplicate food portions and house dust analyses
Authors: Mayumi Ohtsu
Nathan Mise
Akihiko Ikegami
Atsuko Mizuno
Yayoi Kobayashi
Yoshihiko Nakagi
Keiko Nohara
Takahiko Yoshida
Fujio Kayama
Publication date: 01-12-2019
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 1342-078X
Electronic ISSN: 1347-4715
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0818-4

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Oral exposure to lead for Japanese children and pregnant women, estimated using duplicate food portions and house dust analyses

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2019

Association between exposure to household smoking and dental caries in preschool children: a cross-sectional study

Hospital-based screening to detect patients with cadmium nephropathy in cadmium-polluted areas in Japan

Association between lifestyle, parental smoke, socioeconomic status, and academic performance in Japanese elementary school children: the Super Diet Education Project

Perspectives of adolescents, parents, and teachers on barriers and facilitators of physical activity among school-age adolescents: a qualitative analysis

Association between gaseous pollutants and emergency ambulance dispatches for asthma in Chengdu, China: a time-stratified case-crossover study

Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review