Dept. of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructures and Environment. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt B):112025. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112025. Epub 2021 Sep 8.
Lead has been used for thousands of years in different anthropogenic activities thanks to its unique properties that allow for many applications such as the manufacturing of drinking water pipes and its use as additives to gasoline and paint. However, knowledge of the adverse impacts of lead on human health has led to its banning from several of its applications, with the main goal of reducing environmental pollution and protecting human health. Human exposure to lead has been linked to different sources of contamination, resulting in high blood lead levels (BLLs) and adverse health implications, primarily in exposed children. Here, we present a summary of a literature review on potential lead sources affecting blood levels and on the different approaches used to reduce human exposure. The findings show a combination of different research approaches, which include the use of inspectors to identify problematic areas in homes, collection and analysis of environmental samples, different lead detection methods (e.g. smart phone applications to identify the presence of lead and mass spectrometry techniques). Although not always the most effective way to predict BLLs in children, linear and non-linear regression models have been used to link BLLs and environmental lead. However, multiple regressions and complex modelling systems would be ideal, especially when seeking results in support of decision-making processes. Overall, lead remains a pollutant of concern and many children are still exposed to it through environmental and drinking water sources. To reduce exposure to lead through source apportionment methods, recent technological advances using high-precision lead stable isotope ratios measured on multi-collector induced coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) instruments have created a new direction for identifying and then eliminating prevalent lead sources associated with high BLLs.
由于其独特的性质，铅在不同的人为活动中已经使用了数千年，这些性质使其具有许多应用，例如制造饮用水管道以及将其用作汽油和油漆的添加剂。然而，由于铅对人类健康的不良影响，人们已经认识到需要禁止其在一些应用中的使用，主要目标是减少环境污染和保护人类健康。人类接触铅的来源有很多，这导致了血液中铅含量升高（BLLs），并对健康造成了不良影响，主要是对暴露的儿童。在这里，我们总结了一篇关于潜在铅污染源影响血液水平的文献综述，并介绍了降低人类接触铅的不同方法。研究结果表明，采用了多种不同的研究方法，包括使用检查员来识别家庭中存在问题的区域、收集和分析环境样本、使用不同的铅检测方法（例如，智能手机应用程序来识别铅的存在和质谱技术）。虽然这些方法并不总是最有效的预测儿童 BLLs 的方法，但线性和非线性回归模型已被用于将 BLLs 与环境铅联系起来。然而，多回归和复杂的建模系统将是理想的，特别是在寻求支持决策过程的结果时。总的来说，铅仍然是一个令人关注的污染物，许多儿童仍然通过环境和饮用水源接触到它。为了通过源分配方法减少铅的暴露，可以利用使用多接收电感耦合等离子体质谱仪（MC-ICP-MS）测量的高精度铅稳定同位素比值的最新技术进步，为识别和消除与高 BLLs 相关的普遍铅污染源指明新的方向。
