Articles and Reviews
Blood Lead Levels in Mexico and Pediatric Burden of Disease Implications
Authors:
Jack Caravanos ,
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Program, City University of New York, School of Public Health, New York, NY
About Jack
DrPH, CIH
Russell Dowling,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
About Russell
MPH
Martha María Téllez-Rojo Dra,
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad No. 655 Colonia Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cerrada Los Pinos y Caminera C.P. Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
Alejandra Cantoral,
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad No. 655 Colonia Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cerrada Los Pinos y Caminera C.P. Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
About Alejandra
ScD
Roni Kobrosly,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY; Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
About Roni
PhD, MPH
Daniel Estrada,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
Manuela Orjuela,
Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY
About Manuela
MD, ScM
Sandra Gualtero,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
About Sandra
MSc
Bret Ericson MSc,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
Anthony Rivera,
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
Richard Fuller
Blacksmith Institute, New York, NY
Abstract
Background
Although there has been success in reducing lead exposure with the phase-out of leaded gasoline, exposure to lead in Mexico continues to threaten the health of millions, much of which is from lead-based glazes used in pottery that leaches into food.
Objectives
An extensive historical review and analysis of available data on blood lead levels in Mexican populations was conducted. We used a calculated geometric mean to evaluate the effect of lead on the pediatric burden of disease.
Methods
An extensive bibliographic search identified 83 published articles from 1978 to 2010 with blood lead level (BLL) data in Mexican populations representing 150 data points from more than 50,000 study participants. Values from these publications were categorized into various groupings. We then calculated the incidence of disease and disability-adjusted life-years resulting from these BLLs using the World Health Organization's burden of disease spreadsheets for mild mental retardation.
Results
Reviewing all relevant studies, the geometric means of Mexican BLLs in urban and rural areas were found to be 8.85 and 22.24 ug/dL, respectively. Since the phase-out of leaded gasoline, the mean in urban areas was found to be 5.36 ug/dL and the average in rural areas is expected to be much higher. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) upper limit of blood lead in children under the age of 6 years is 5 ug/dL and the current U.S. average is 1.2 ug/dL. Our results indicate that more than 15% of the population will experience a decrement of more than 5 IQ points from lead exposure. The analysis also leads us to believe that lead is responsible for 820,000 disability-adjusted life-years for lead-induced mild mental retardation for children aged 0 to 4 years.
Conclusion
Lead continues to threaten the health of millions and remains a significant cause of disability in Mexico. Additional interventions in reducing or managing lead-based ceramic glazes are necessary to protect the public health.
How to Cite:
Caravanos, J., Dowling, R., María Téllez-Rojo Dra, M., Cantoral, A., Kobrosly, R., Estrada, D., Orjuela, M., Gualtero, S., Ericson MSc, B., Rivera, A. and Fuller, R., 2014. Blood Lead Levels in Mexico and Pediatric Burden of Disease Implications. Annals of Global Health, 80(4), pp.269–277. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2014.08.002
Published on
25 Nov 2014.
Peer Reviewed
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