Hore Paromita, Sedlar Slavenka, Ehrlich Jacqueline
Bureau of Environmental Disease and Injury Prevention, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, New York.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024 Aug 1;73(30):667-671. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7330a2.
Even low levels of lead in children's blood are associated with developmental delays, difficulty learning, and behavioral issues. Adults are also vulnerable to the detrimental health effects of lead exposure. The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene receives blood lead test results for NYC residents and conducts investigations of lead poisoning cases. Blood lead testing of a child aged 4 years in 2012 led to the discovery of blood lead levels above the CDC blood lead reference value of 3.5 μg/dL in the child as well as four other family members over a period of 11 years, including the child's mother and three younger siblings born during 2012-2016. The only potential source of lead exposure identified for all cases was the use of surma, a traditional eye cosmetic, which was found to contain 390,000 ppm lead. The cases in this report highlight the challenges of risk communication when deeply ingrained cultural practices, such as the use of surma, persist despite health warnings. Moreover, they highlight the intergenerational nature of such practices and the need for comprehensive family follow-up once a member is identified as being at risk. These products continue to be available globally, even in places such as the United States where sales are prohibited. Multistakeholder efforts involving local and global engagement could promote reformulation of these products at the countries of origin to eliminate lead as an ingredient.
即使儿童血液中铅含量较低，也会导致发育迟缓、学习困难和行为问题。成年人也容易受到铅暴露对健康的有害影响。纽约市卫生和精神卫生部门接收纽约市居民的血铅检测结果，并对铅中毒病例进行调查。2012年对一名4岁儿童进行的血铅检测发现，在11年的时间里，该儿童以及包括其母亲和2012年至2016年期间出生的三个弟弟妹妹在内的其他四名家庭成员的血铅水平超过了疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）3.5μg/dL的血铅参考值。所有病例确定的唯一潜在铅暴露源是使用苏玛（一种传统眼部化妆品），发现其含铅量为390,000ppm。本报告中的病例凸显了风险沟通面临的挑战，即尽管有健康警告，诸如使用苏玛这种根深蒂固的文化习俗依然存在。此外，这些病例凸显了此类习俗的代际性质，以及一旦确定一名家庭成员处于风险中就需要进行全面家庭随访的必要性。这些产品在全球仍可获得，即使在美国等禁止销售的地方也是如此。涉及地方和全球参与的多方利益相关者努力可以推动在原产国重新配方这些产品，以消除铅作为一种成分。
