Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• El Zahran, Tharwat
• Mostafa, Hala
• Hamade, Hani
• Al Hariri, Moustafa
• Saab, Aed
• Tamim, Hani
• Tohme, Rasha
• Al Hamod, Dany A
• Sinno, Durriyah
• Sawaya, Rasha Dorothy
• Kazzi, Ziad

Titel

Lead screening in children presenting to three hospitals in Lebanon

Ist Teil von

• Archives of disease in childhood, 2022-03, Vol.107 (3), p.251-256

Ort / Verlag

England: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• BackgroundLead damages most body organs and its effects are most profound in children. In a study in Beirut in 2003, before banning the leaded gasoline, 79% of the participants showed blood lead levels (BLLs) higher than 5 µg/dL. The prevalence of lead exposure in Lebanon after the ban on leaded gasoline has not been studied. This study assessed the BLL in Lebanese children aged 1–6 years.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals in Beirut. The children’s BLLs were tested, and their caregiver completed a questionnaire to identify subgroups at risk of exposure. Participants were provided with a WHO brochure highlighting the risks of lead.ResultsNinety children with a mean age of 3.5±1.5 years were enrolled in the study and had a mean BLL of 1.1±0.7 µg/dL, with all values being below 5.0 µg/dL, showing a marked decrease in BLL compared with the mean BLL before the ban on leaded gasoline in 2002. Having a father or a mother with a college degree (p=0.01 and p=0.035, respectively) and having a monthly household income greater than $1000 (p=0.021) were associated with significantly lower BLL. Having more rooms at home and residing close to construction sites were associated with a significantly lower BLL (p=0.001 and p=0.026, respectively). Residing in a house aged >40 years and receiving traditional remedies were associated with a significantly higher BLL (p=0.009 and p<0.0001, respectively).ConclusionBLLs have declined among Lebanese children and this could be attributed to multiple factors including the ban of leaded gasoline. It would be beneficial to conduct a larger study with a nationally representative sample to better characterise the BLL.