Occupational & Environmental Health Research Centre, Indonesian Medical and Education Research Institute (IMERI), Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Central Jakarta, 10430, Indonesia; Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Central Jakarta, 10320, Indonesia.
Occupational & Environmental Health Research Centre, Indonesian Medical and Education Research Institute (IMERI), Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Central Jakarta, 10430, Indonesia; Tebet Regional Public Hospital, South Jakarta, 12810, Indonesia.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2024 Aug;261:114426. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114426. Epub 2024 Jul 22.
Lead poisoning contributes to a significant burden of disease as a toxic substance found in air, soil, and water. In Indonesia, the risk of exposure is high due to the inappropriate recycling of used lead batteries. The objective was to investigate the factors that influence lead levels in children's blood.
This cross-sectional study assessed blood lead levels (BLLs) in children aged 12-59 months in four communities exposed to used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) recycling activities, comparing them to a control area. The study employed a threshold level of 20 μg/dL to identify high BLLs and utilized a sample size of 324 children from exposed sites and 240 from control sites. Questionnaires, blood lead tests and a home-based assessment for environmental exposures were applied.
The study participants comprised 295 boys and 269 girls, with an average age of 35 months. Significant disparities in soil lead concentrations median: Q1-Q3 were found between exposed (6581.7 : 2432.6-16647.1) ppm and control areas (253.5 : 158.8-417.1) ppm. Children in exposed areas had 3.9 times higher odds of BLL ≥20 μg/dL. Fathers with BLL ≥20 μg/dL had children with similarly elevated BLLs. Multivariate analysis identified socioeconomic status, study areas, environmental factors (cookware, food ware, spices, house cleaning), and children's behavior (breastfeeding duration) as determinants of elevated BLLs. Reported environmental factors had notable impact on BLLs, with aluminum cookware (aOR = 1.4, 95%CI [1.2-1.6]), food ware materials (aOR = 1.15, 95%CI [1.0-1.3]), type of spices (aOR = 2.7, 95%CI [1.7-48.0]), and house cleaning method (aOR = 2.9, 95%CI [1.2-7.1]).
This study highlighted key risk factors affecting children's blood lead levels (BLL) and emphasized the urgency of employing effective strategies to remediate lead-contaminated soils in exposed regions. The findings underscore the need for prompt medical intervention and monitoring for children in these areas, with additional research essential to fully understand lead poisoning pathways in the environment.
铅是一种有毒物质，存在于空气、土壤和水中，它会导致疾病，给人们带来沉重的负担。在印度尼西亚，由于旧铅酸电池的不当回收，接触铅的风险很高。本研究旨在探讨影响儿童血铅水平的因素。
本横断面研究比较了暴露于使用过的铅酸电池（ULAB）回收活动的四个社区和一个对照地区 12-59 个月儿童的血铅水平（BLL）。采用 20μg/dL 的阈值来确定高 BLL，并使用暴露点 324 名儿童和对照点 240 名儿童的样本量。采用问卷、血铅检测和家庭环境暴露评估。
研究参与者包括 295 名男孩和 269 名女孩，平均年龄为 35 个月。暴露区和对照区土壤铅浓度中位数存在显著差异（6581.7:2432.6-16647.1 和 253.5:158.8-417.1）。暴露区儿童血铅水平≥20μg/dL 的可能性是对照区的 3.9 倍。血铅水平≥20μg/dL 的父亲，其子女血铅水平也偏高。多变量分析确定社会经济地位、研究区域、环境因素（炊具、食品容器、香料、房屋清洁）和儿童行为（母乳喂养持续时间）是血铅水平升高的决定因素。报告的环境因素对血铅水平有显著影响，铝炊具（aOR=1.4，95%CI[1.2-1.6]）、食品容器材料（aOR=1.15，95%CI[1.0-1.3]）、香料类型（aOR=2.7，95%CI[1.7-48.0]）和房屋清洁方法（aOR=2.9，95%CI[1.2-7.1]）。
本研究强调了影响儿童血铅水平的关键风险因素，并强调了在暴露地区采取有效策略来修复铅污染土壤的紧迫性。这些发现表明，需要对这些地区的儿童进行及时的医疗干预和监测，还需要进一步研究以全面了解环境中的铅中毒途径。
