Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Energy and Environmental Contaminants Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Environ Int. 2019 Jan;122:91-103. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.023. Epub 2018 Nov 30.
Broken Hill is home to Australia's oldest silver-zinc-lead mine. However, the precise source of childhood blood lead (PbB) exposures has been subject to considerable debate. Lead sources include natural soil Pb enrichment, legacy deposition, contemporary mining emissions, and Pb-based paint.
To test whether contemporary mining emissions independently affect childhood PbB in Broken Hill.
Children's (<5 years old) PbB measures from 2011 to 2015 (n = 4852), obtained from Broken Hill Child & Family Health Centre, were analyzed using generalised linear regression models, including covariates of household soil Pb, city dust Pb concentrations (PbD), demographic factors and Pb ore production. Two natural experiments involving wind direction and the 2009 dust storm were examined to test whether the PbB-distance gradient from the mining operations was influenced by contemporary emissions. The influence of contemporary emissions was further interrogated by examining the effect of ore production on PbB and PbD.
Children living downwind and proximate to the mine had substantially higher PbB outcomes than children similarly distant but upwind. Dust Pb deposition increased significantly with proximity to mining operations as well to Pb production (1991-2013). Average annual PbB correlated with Pb ore production (p < 0.01) with all subsets of children PbB levels responding with near unit elasticity to Pb ore production (p < 0.01). Pre- and post-analysis of the dust storm showed the PbB-distance gradient remained statistically unaltered further confirming contemporary emissions as a source of exposure.
Contemporary mining emissions influence children's PbB measures independent of other sources and need to be remediated to facilitate reductions in harmful exposure.
布罗肯山是澳大利亚最古老的银锌铅矿所在地。然而，儿童血铅（PbB）暴露的确切来源一直存在争议。铅的来源包括自然土壤铅富集、遗留沉积、当代采矿排放以及含铅涂料。
检验当代采矿排放是否会独立影响布罗肯山儿童的血铅水平。
对 2011 年至 2015 年期间（n=4852）从布罗肯山儿童与家庭健康中心采集的儿童（<5 岁）血铅测量值进行了分析，使用广义线性回归模型，包括家庭土壤铅、城市尘埃铅浓度（PbD）、人口统计学因素和铅矿石产量的协变量。进行了两项自然实验，分别涉及风向和 2009 年的沙尘暴，以检验采矿作业的铅暴露距离梯度是否受到当代排放的影响。通过检验矿石产量对 PbB 和 PbD 的影响，进一步探究了当代排放的影响。
与住在下风处和靠近矿山的儿童相比，处于相同距离但处于上风处的儿童的血铅水平明显更高。尘埃铅沉积量随着与采矿作业的接近度以及与铅产量的增加而显著增加（1991-2013 年）。平均年血铅水平与铅矿石产量呈正相关（p<0.01），所有儿童血铅水平的子集都对铅矿石产量呈近单位弹性响应（p<0.01）。在沙尘暴前后的分析表明，PbB 距离梯度仍然具有统计学意义上的不变性，进一步证实了当代排放是暴露的一个来源。
当代采矿排放会影响儿童的血铅水平，而不受其他来源的影响，需要加以纠正，以减少有害暴露。
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