TY - JOUR
T1 - Exposure of children to lead and cadmium from a mining area of Brazil
AU - Paoliello, Monica Maria Bastos
AU - De Capitani, Eduardo Mello
AU - Da Cunha, Fernanda Gonçalves
AU - Matsuo, Tiemi
AU - Carvalho, Maria de Fátima
AU - Sakuma, Alice
AU - Figueiredo, Bernardino Ribeiro
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Edson Orlando Silva, MD, Ana Maria de Oliveira, Marcia A. BeleH m Moraes, and Maria de Lourdes S. Lisboa for gathering regional information and for local assistence. We especially thank all local school authorities and teachers for their support and the parents and children for their voluntary and collaborative participation. This study was 7nanced through grants from FAEP (University of Campinas, School of Medicine), CAPES (Ministry of Education), NESCO (University of Londrina, Centers of Health Science), and FAPESP (Research Agency of State of Sao Paulo).
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - During the past 50 years the Ribeira river valley, in the southern part of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, had been under the influence of the full activity of a huge lead refinery and mine working by the side of the river. The plant completely stopped all kinds of industrial activities at the end of 1995, and part of the worker population and their families still remain living nearby in small communities. The objective of the study was to assess the exposure of children to lead and cadmium in these areas, where residual environmental contamination from the past industrial activity still exists. Blood samples of 295 children aged 7 to 14 years, residing in rural and urban areas around the mine and the refinery, were collected. A questionnaire was given to gather information on food habits, leisure activities, father's past employment, current and former residential places, and other variables. Blood lead and cadmium concentrations were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using Zeeman background correction. Cadmium values obtained in this population were mostly below established quantification limits (0.5 μg/dl). The median of blood lead level (BLL) obtained in children living close to the lead refinery was 11.25 μg/dl, and the median in other mining regions far from the refinery was 4.4 μg/dl. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the independent contribution of selected variables in predicting BLL in these children. The following variables showed significant association with high BLL: residential area close to the lead refinery [odds ratio (OR) = 10.38 (95% confidence interval (Cl) = 4.86-23.25)], former father's occupational lead exposure [OR = 4.07 (95% Cl= 1.82-9.24)], and male gender [OR = 2.60 (95% Cl = 1.24-5.62)].
AB - During the past 50 years the Ribeira river valley, in the southern part of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, had been under the influence of the full activity of a huge lead refinery and mine working by the side of the river. The plant completely stopped all kinds of industrial activities at the end of 1995, and part of the worker population and their families still remain living nearby in small communities. The objective of the study was to assess the exposure of children to lead and cadmium in these areas, where residual environmental contamination from the past industrial activity still exists. Blood samples of 295 children aged 7 to 14 years, residing in rural and urban areas around the mine and the refinery, were collected. A questionnaire was given to gather information on food habits, leisure activities, father's past employment, current and former residential places, and other variables. Blood lead and cadmium concentrations were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using Zeeman background correction. Cadmium values obtained in this population were mostly below established quantification limits (0.5 μg/dl). The median of blood lead level (BLL) obtained in children living close to the lead refinery was 11.25 μg/dl, and the median in other mining regions far from the refinery was 4.4 μg/dl. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the independent contribution of selected variables in predicting BLL in these children. The following variables showed significant association with high BLL: residential area close to the lead refinery [odds ratio (OR) = 10.38 (95% confidence interval (Cl) = 4.86-23.25)], former father's occupational lead exposure [OR = 4.07 (95% Cl= 1.82-9.24)], and male gender [OR = 2.60 (95% Cl = 1.24-5.62)].
KW - Blood
KW - Cadmium exposure
KW - Children
KW - Environmental exposure
KW - Lead exposure
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U2 - 10.1006/enrs.2001.4311
DO - 10.1006/enrs.2001.4311
M3 - Article
C2 - 11908937
AN - SCOPUS:0036213022
SN - 0013-9351
VL - 88
SP - 120
EP - 128
JO - Environmental Research
JF - Environmental Research
IS - 2
ER -