Soil lead abatement and children's blood lead levels in an urban setting

Abstract

Objectives. The effect of abating soil lead was assessed among Baltimore children. The hypothesis was that a reduction of 1000 parts per million would reduce children's blood lead levels by 0.14 to 0.29 μmol/L (3-6 μg/dL). Methods. In 2 neighborhoods (study and control), 187 children completed the protocol. In the study area, contaminated soil was replaced with clean soil. Results. Soil lead abatement in this study did not lower children's blood lead. Conclusions. Although it did not show an effect in this study, soil lead abatement may be useful in certain areas.