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Lead Exposure Assessment among Pregnant Women, Newborns, and Children: Case Study from Karachi, Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Zafar Fatmi

    (Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan)

  • Ambreen Sahito

    (Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan)

  • Akihiko Ikegami

    (Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan)

  • Atsuko Mizuno

    (Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan)

  • Xiaoyi Cui

    (Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan)

  • Nathan Mise

    (Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan)

  • Mai Takagi

    (Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0053, Japan)

  • Yayoi Kobayashi

    (Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0053, Japan)

  • Fujio Kayama

    (Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke 329-0498, Japan)

Abstract

Lead (Pb) in petrol has been banned in developed countries. Despite the control of Pb in petrol since 2001, high levels were reported in the blood of pregnant women and children in Pakistan. However, the identification of sources of Pb has been elusive due to its pervasiveness. In this study, we assessed the lead intake of pregnant women and one- to three-year-old children from food, water, house dust, respirable dust, and soil. In addition, we completed the fingerprinting of the Pb isotopic ratios (LIR) of petrol and secondary sources (food, house-dust, respirable dust, soil, surma (eye cosmetics)) of exposure within the blood of pregnant women, newborns, and children. Eight families, with high (~50 μg/dL), medium (~20 μg/dL), and low blood levels (~10 μg/dL), were selected from 60 families. The main sources of exposure to lead for children were food and house-dust, and those for pregnant women were soil, respirable dust, and food. LIR was determined by inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) with a two sigma uncertainty of ±0.03%. The LIR of mothers and newborns was similar. In contrast, surma , and to a larger extent petrol, exhibited a negligible contribution to both the child’s and mother’s blood Pb. Household wet-mopping could be effective in reducing Pb exposure. This intake assessment could be replicated for other developing countries to identify sources of lead and the burden of lead exposure in the population.

Suggested Citation

  • Zafar Fatmi & Ambreen Sahito & Akihiko Ikegami & Atsuko Mizuno & Xiaoyi Cui & Nathan Mise & Mai Takagi & Yayoi Kobayashi & Fujio Kayama, 2017. "Lead Exposure Assessment among Pregnant Women, Newborns, and Children: Case Study from Karachi, Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:4:p:413-:d:95772
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Keith Schofield, 2017. "The Metal Neurotoxins: An Important Role in Current Human Neural Epidemics?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, December.
    2. Shukrullah Ahmadi & Barbara Le Bot & Roméo Zoumenou & Séverine Durand & Nadine Fiévet & Pierre Ayotte & Achille Massougbodji & Maroufou Jules Alao & Michel Cot & Philippe Glorennec & Florence Bodeau-L, 2020. "Follow-Up of Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Sources in a Cohort of Children in Benin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Elisabet Navarro-Tapia & Mariona Serra-Delgado & Lucía Fernández-López & Montserrat Meseguer-Gilabert & María Falcón & Giorgia Sebastiani & Sebastian Sailer & Oscar Garcia-Algar & Vicente Andreu-Ferná, 2021. "Toxic Elements in Traditional Kohl-Based Eye Cosmetics in Spanish and German Markets," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-16, June.

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