Blood lead levels in glue sniffers

The aim of this study was to investigate blood levels of lead (Pb) among adolescents with glue sniffing in Turkey. Blood Pb levels were measured in 30 adolescent glue sniffers by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and compared with those of the 30 healthy adolescents. The Pb contents of various glue preparations marketed in Turkey and used by the abusers were also measured. Blood Pb levels were significantly higher in the study group when compared to the control group. Pb was detected at considerably high levels in the contents of all the various glue preparations most commonly used by the cases in the study group. The increased blood Pb levels in glue sniffers may be related to the high lead contents of glues marketed in Turkey. The blood Pb levels and signs of Pb toxicity should be investigated in examination of glue sniffers.     

Moderately raised blood lead levels in children.

There is no doubt that high blood lead levels are associated with mental subnormality and hyperactivity. Several recent studies in Britain and America have investigated the relation between moderate levels, i.e. between 20 and 40 microgram/100 ml and behavioural and cognitive phenomena. Epidemiological studies have generally failed to point to a clearcut relation between such levels and overactivity or decrements in performance on standard intelligence and educational tests. Published studies with the use of chelation techniques have suffered from methodological weaknesses. It is known that socio-economic factors are powerfully related to measured intelligence and behaviour and, on the evidence available, it is to them that attention should primarily be given if preventative measures are being considered. There remains the possibility that more refined test measures would detect impaired functioning in children with moderately raised lead levels, and that there is an interaction effect between lead and host resistance.     

Blood lead levels and cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) as predictors of late neurodevelopment in lead poisoned children

Objective: To find the best lead exposure assessment marker for children.

Methods: We recruited 11 children, calculated a cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) for the children, measured their concurrent BLL, assessed their development, and measured their bone lead level.

Results: Nine of 11 children had clinically significant neurodevelopment problems. CBLI and current blood lead level, but not the peak lead level, were significantly or marginally negatively associated with the full-scale IQ score.

Conclusion: Lead exposure at younger age significantly impacts a child’s later neurodevelopment. CBLI may be a better predictor of neurodevelopment than are current or peak blood lead levels.     

Blood lead levels in children from Sardinian villages at high risk of environmental crisis

This study reports blood lead levels measured in 1998 in children from three Sardinian villages: Portoscuso, Sant'Antioco, and Sestu. Portoscuso is located about 2 km from one of the most important industrial complexes in Sardinia. Sant'Antioco, together with the villages of Carbonia, Gonnesa, Portoscuso and San Giovanni Suergiu, is in the Sulcis-Iglesiente zone, defined as an “area of high risk of environmental crisis” on the basis of the Decree of the Italian Council of Ministers dated November 30, 1990. Sestu, a semi-urban centre about 10 km from Cagliari (the island's capital), can be considered not exposed to lead pollution. Blood lead concentration was determined in heparinized venous blood samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Comparing the mean blood lead levels for the boys of Portoscuso measured in 1993 (9.27 μg/dl) and 1998 (11.30 μg/dl), we found an increase of 21.90%, whereas the mean values for the girls are practically identical in 1993 (7.35 μg/dl) and 1998 (7.39 μg/dl). In contrast, in the boys and girls of Sestu, the mean blood lead levels decrease from 1993 to 1998 by 55.62% and 29.09% respectively (from 6.71 μg/dl to 4.09 μg/dl in the boys; from 4.71 μg/dl to 3.34 μg/dl in the girls). In the Sant'Antioco children, we found a 52.65% decrease from 1987 (8.30 μg/dl reported for a sample not subdivided by sex)) to 1998 (3.93 μg/dl for males and females combined). Our results confirm the findings of previous investigations of blood lead levels in children from Sardinian villages with different environmental risks of lead pollution: the children of Portoscuso present higher blood lead levels than other groups of Sardinian children.     

Comparison of blood lead levels in three groups of Sardinian children.

This paper reports blood lead levels in children from three Sardinian municipalities: Portoscuso, Iglesias, and Sestu. Portoscuso, chosen as the control area, is located about 2 km from one of the most important industrial complexes of the island. Iglesias was once an important zinc-lead mining centre. Sestu is a semi-urban centre located about 10 km from Cagliari (the islands's capital), and may be considered unexposed to lead pollution. Blood lead concentration was evaluated in heparinized venous blood samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Children living in Portoscuso show a higher mean of blood lead levels (8.43 micrograms/dl) as compared to that of children of the same age living in Iglesias (6.92 micrograms/dl) and Sestu (5.71 micrograms/dl). By the Bonferroni t-tests procedure these mean differences appear to be statistically significant. The mean of PbB levels obtained in this investigation for children from Portoscuso showed a decrease of 33.62% with respect to that reported in a previous investigation carried out in 1987 (12.7 micrograms/dl).     

Blood manganese levels in children with convulsive disorder

Manganese deficiency syndromes have been well described in animals and include among a wide variety of metabolic aberrations the heightened susceptibility to convulsions induced by electroshock or drugs. We have measured manganese blood levels in two populations of children: (1) a reference group of 120 ambulatory patients without neurologic disease, (2) 197 patients with convulsive disorder. Blood manganese was found to be age related in infants under 1 year of age. Highly significant was the lower mean blood manganese found in the convulsive disorder group as compared to the reference group. There was also a slight trend in the convulsive group for blood manganese to decrease from 1 to 22 years of age. No significant differences in manganese levels were found related to sex, type of seizure disorder, type of anticonvulsant drug therapy, or serum level of drug. Although this study does not demonstrate a causal relation between manganese and seizure disorder, and cannot be used as the basis for altering current approaches to therapy, it provides insight into the potentially important role of previously unrecognized factors in the pathophysiology of this syndrome.     

Blood lead and cadmium levels in a six hospital employee population. PESA study, 2009

IntroductionExposure to lead and cadmium is a public health problem due to the broad exposure to these toxic substances among the general population. The objective of this study is to determine blood lead and cadmium concentrations in a working population drawn from six university hospitals in Madrid, Getafe, Cartagena, Santiago de Compostela, Santander and Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and to identify associated factors.Materials and methods951 individuals participated in the study and were administered the standardized PESA^® questionnaire regarding exposure to lead and cadmium. The blood lead and cadmium concentrations were measured by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman background correction in Perkin-Elmer spectrometers, guaranteeing the transferability of the results.ResultsThe median overall blood lead concentration was: 1.6 μg/dL (IQR: 0.9–2.7) and that of cadmium was: 0.21 μg/L (IQR: 0.10–0.50). There were significant differences in lead levels between men (2 μg/dL) and women (1.5 μg/dL), postmenopausal (2.6 μg/dL) and premenopausal women (1.1 μg/dL), and between participants who cooked in earthenware (2.1 μg/dL) and those who did not (1.5 μg/dL). The median of cadmium in women (0.24 μg/L) was higher than in men (0.11 μg/L) and was also higher in subjects who smoked (0.70 μg/L) than in non-smokers (0.13 μg/L).ConclusionsA reduction in blood lead and cadmium levels was observed with respect to previous studies carried out in Spain. Nevertheless, the results suggest there are certain factors which increase risk such as age, gender, menopause, age of housing, cooking in lead-glazed earthenware and exposure to cigarette smoke.     

Blood lead in children and associations with trace elements and sociodemographic factors

BackgroundNo safe blood lead concentration in children has been identified. Lead can affect nearly every system in the body and is especially harmful to the developing central nervous system of children.The aim of this study is to analyze blood lead in a population of children and its association with sociodemographic variables, biochemical parameters, copper, iron, selenium and zinc.MethodsWe recruited 155 children (86 boys and 69 girls) with a mean age of 7.3 (SD:4.1). Blood lead and serum selenium concentrations were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Serum copper and zinc concentrations were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Serum iron levels were determined by colorimetric assay. A risk exposure questionnaire for lead was administered to the participants.ResultsThe median blood lead level was 1.1 (IQR 0.7–1.6) μg/dL. Regarding risk exposure factors, the youngest children (<2 years) who played outdoors presented a median blood lead concentration of 1.1 μg/dL IQR: 0.48–1.48, compared to the median of 0.3 μg/dL IQR:0.2-0.48 in the children who stated they played at home (p = 0.024). Significant differences were also found when taking into account those parents who smoked (median 1.3 IQR 0.8–1.9 μg/dL vs 0.9 IQR 0.5–1.4 μg/dL of non-smokers, p = 0.002). Children who drank tap water had higher blood lead levels (median 1.2 IQR 0.7–1.6 μg/dL) than those who drank bottled water (median 0.7 IQR 0.2–1.3 μg/dL p = 0.014). In addition, children whose mothers had not finished school had higher blood lead levels (median 1.7 IQR 1.2–2.3 μg/dL) than those whose mothers had finished school (median 1.2 IQR 0.7–1.7 μg/dL) and those whose mothers had gone to university (median 0.9 IQR 0.5–1.4 μg/dL) p = 0.034. In the multivariate lineal regression analysis we continue to observe the association between mother’s higher level of education and lower blood levels (p = 0.04) and the interaction between age and outdoor play (p = 0.0145).ConclusionsIn spite of the decline in blood lead concentrations, associated risk factors continue to exist in vulnerable populations such as children.     

Blood lead levels in wintering and moulting Icelandic whooper swans over two decades

Lead poisoning of waterfowl through the ingestion of spent gunshot and discarded anglers' weights continues to be a problem worldwide. We took blood samples from 363 whooper swans Cygnus cygnus at wintering sites in Britain and Ireland and at moulting sites in Iceland during 2001–2005, and analysed them for total blood lead. Lead levels were generally low in swans in Iceland; 6% of samples exceeded 1.21  μ mol L⁻¹, the level indicative of elevated lead and above background levels. The proportion of swans with elevated lead was much higher in the wintering range, varying between 43 and 70% at three sites monitored over the winters 2003/2004–2005/2006, and with blood lead levels ranging up to 19.6  μ mol L⁻¹. The highest levels were in samples taken from swans in Scotland, with a mean value of 3.0  μ mol L⁻¹, but nevertheless they indicated a marked decrease compared with blood lead levels measured for whooper swans at the same site 20 years ago. There also appeared to be a significant long-term decrease in the proportion of swans with elevated blood lead in Iceland, from 60% of birds in 1984 to 8% in 2005, although this may be due to the birds being caught in different parts of Iceland. The most likely source of elevated lead in whooper swans is spent gunshot. Management measures to reduce the impact of lead in the environment on the birds are discussed.     

Blood leukotriene levels during the acute asthma attack in children

Leukotrienes (LT) have been proposed to be important mediators in the etiology of the acute asthma attack (AAA). We therefore studied blood LT levels in 18 children having AAA. Heparinized blood samples were obtained before and after treatment with epinephrine injections and/or metaproterenol inhalations in the emergency room. The samples were acidified and subjected to Sep-pak chromatography. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy and bioassay on guinea pig ileum were used to identify the LT based on comparison to data produced by standard synthetic LT samples. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was used to further confirm the presence of LT LT C, D and E were detected in the plasma of children having AAA. Only LT C levels were significantly elevated over control values. The mean blood LT C level of control patients was 1.6 ± 1.2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml, mean t SEM) while that of the asthma patients was 73.8 ± 18.2 ng/ml prior to treatment. After emergency room treatment the asthma patients had a mean blood LT C level of 22.5 ± 11.7 ng/ml. Lowered levels of LT C accompanied improved clinical condition of the patients. This finding indicates that the AAA in children is associated with elevated blood levels of LT C.     

Epidemiological study of blood lead levels of children and adolescents living in Campania, Italy.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate blood levels (PbB) in a group of 500 (245 M, 255 F) children and adolescents of Campania (Italy) aged from 0.197 to 16.915 years, 269 (136 M, 133 F) of whom lived in urban zones and 231 (109 M, 122 F) in rural zones. PbB was assayed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy. The parents of the examined subjects children were interviewed about common risk factors for lead exposure using a standardized questionnaire. The PbB of children living in urban zones were significantly higher than the PbB of those living in rural zones (60.0 +/- 3.0 mg/L vs. 40.0 +/- 2.0 mg/L, p < 0.001). A PbB higher than 100 mg/L was found in 27 children (5.4%). We observed a significant correlation between age and PbB (p < 0.001, r = 0.529). Our data regarding children and adolescents demonstrate that the prevalence of PbB higher than 100 mg/L is greater in children living in urban areas (6.89%) than in subjects living in rural areas (3.89%). The findings can be explained by the higher presence of risk factors of Pb exposure in urban areas. Our data, if compared with those of previous studies concerning children of Campania, show a clear decrease of PbB. The correlation that we found between age and PbB indicates that long-term exposure at low doses more than a more intensive but short-term exposure seems to be important for the increase of blood lead levels.     

Oxidative stress and neurological disorders in relation to blood lead levels in children

Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Free radical generation appears to be the mode of lead toxicity. We evaluated the effects of blood lead levels on oxidative stress parameters in children suffering from neurological disorders. Thirty children (aged 3-12 years) with neurological disorders (cerebral palsy [n = 12], seizures [n = 11], and encephalopathy [n = 7]) were recruited in the study group. Sixty healthy children (aged 3-12 years) from similar socio-economic environments and not suffering from any chronic disease were taken as the controls. Blood lead levels and oxidant/antioxidant status were determined. Mean blood lead level was significantly higher while delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (delta-ALAD) activity, a biomarker for lead exposure, was significantly lower in the study group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05 for each). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, an end-product of lipid peroxidation, were significantly higher while the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly lower in the study group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05 for each). Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly higher in the study group than those of the control group (P < 0.05 for each). There were significant negative correlations of blood lead levels with delta-ALAD (r = -0.35; P < 0.05) and GSH (r = -0.31; P < 0.05), and positive correlations with MDA (r = 0.37; P < 0.05), SOD (r = 0.53; P < 0.05), and CAT (r = 0.31; P < 0.05). In turn, delta-ALAD had significant negative correlations with MDA (r = -0.29; P < 0.05), SOD (r = -0.28; P < 0.05) and CAT (r = -0.34; P < 0.05), but positive correlation with GSH (r = 0.32; P < 0.05). Although a causal pathway can not be determined from the present study, our findings indicate lead-induced oxidative stress in blood of children with neurological disorders. Lead-induced oxidative stress as an underlying mechanism for neurological diseases in children warranted further investigation.