Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre of Research for Public Health, Lahore, Pakistan; Lahore College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Belgium.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2014 Jul;217(6):669-77. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2014.02.002. Epub 2014 Feb 23.
In order to document the exposure to trace metals among urban schoolchildren and rural working children, we measured the urinary concentrations of metals in schoolchildren from two areas of differing traffic intensity in Lahore, and in children working in carpet weaving or the brick industry outside Lahore. In a cross-sectional design, we recruited a convenience sample of 339 children aged 8-12 years (mean age 9.9 y, SD 1.4; 47% girls) from two elementary schools in Lahore - one situated in a high air pollution area (n=100) and one situated in an area with lower air pollution (n=79) - and from the carpet weaving industry (n=80) and brick industry (n=80). A spot urine sample was collected and concentrations of 20 metals and metalloids were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Samples of drinking water were similarly analyzed. In general, the urinary concentrations of several toxic metals (including Cr, Mn, As, Mo, Cd, Pb, U) were higher than international reference values. Concentrations of As were especially elevated in children working in the brick making industry [geometric mean (GM) 118 μg/L], but they were also high among urban schoolchildren (GM 68 μg/L and 56 μg/L). Lead (Pb) was higher in urine from schoolchildren in the high air pollution area (GM 11 μg/L) than in those from the lower pollution area (GM 5.3 μg/L). Uranium (U) was high in both carpet weavers (GM 0.28 μg/L) and brick kiln workers (GM 0.45 μg/L). Concentrations of As, Pb, and U in drinking water corresponded well with urinary concentrations of metals. This descriptive study provides evidence for a high exposure to several toxic metals in this area of Pakistan. The concentrations of urinary As are in the order of those found in other regions of the world with high environmental exposure to As. The sources and pathways of exposure and the health significance of these findings need to be further investigated.
为了记录城市学童和农村务工儿童接触痕量金属的情况，我们测量了来自拉合尔两个交通强度不同地区的学童以及在拉合尔以外从事地毯编织或砖业工作的儿童尿液中的金属浓度。采用横断面设计，我们在拉合尔的两所小学（一所位于高污染地区（n=100），另一所位于低污染地区（n=79））和地毯编织业（n=80）和砖业（n=80）招募了一个方便样本，共 339 名 8-12 岁的儿童（平均年龄 9.9 岁，标准差 1.4；47%为女孩）。采集了一份尿样，并通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测量了 20 种金属和类金属的浓度。同样分析了饮用水样本。一般来说，几种有毒金属（包括 Cr、Mn、As、Mo、Cd、Pb、U）的尿液浓度高于国际参考值。在制砖行业工作的儿童尿液中砷浓度尤其高（几何平均值（GM）为 118μg/L），但城市学童的浓度也很高（GM 分别为 68μg/L 和 56μg/L）。在空气污染较重地区的学童尿液中，铅（Pb）的浓度较高（GM 为 11μg/L），而在污染较低地区的学童尿液中，铅的浓度较低（GM 为 5.3μg/L）。铀（U）在地毯编织工（GM 0.28μg/L）和砖窑工人（GM 0.45μg/L）中的浓度都很高。饮用水中 As、Pb 和 U 的浓度与金属尿液浓度相当。这项描述性研究为巴基斯坦这一地区接触多种有毒金属提供了证据。尿液中 As 的浓度与世界上其他环境中砷暴露水平较高的地区相当。需要进一步调查这些发现的接触源和途径以及对健康的意义。
