Prevalence and determinants of lead intoxication in Mexican children of low socioeconomic status

Abstract

This paper reports on the prevalence of lead poisoning in children between 1 and 5 years of age living in a marginal area to the north of Mexico City and also includes an evaluation of sources of exposure to this metal in the same area. The results show that 67.5% of the children studied have blood lead (PbB) levels ≤ 10 μg/100 ml. Twenty-one percent of these children (1987) had PbB levels that required medical evaluation (≤ 20 μg/100 ml-≤ 40 μg/100 ml), and 112 children needed medical treatment (PbB ≤ 40 μg/100 ml). In addition, the study found that the probability of higher blood lead levels (≤ 20 μg/dl) corresponds to children whose mothers use lead-glazed pottery dishes (OR = 2.80; CI 95%, 1.55-5.07) and to children who habitually bite colored pencils (OR = 2.05; CI 95%, 1.13-3.71) compared, respectively, with children whose mothers do not use that type of dishes and children who do not bite pencils. Our results provide baseline information for estimating the impact and costs of population-based interventions aimed at these populations and also confirm the need to strengthen health education programs to promote the reduction of lead exposure in the general population.