2011年台灣地區幼稚園兒童血中鉛濃度與影響因素初探分析

Distribution and Determinants of Blood Lead Levels in Kindergarten Children in Taiwan, 2011

10.6288/TJPH2012-31-03-08

林宜萱(Yi-Hseun Lin)；林佳玉(Chia-Yu Lin)；王怡人(I-Jen Wang)；黃耀輝(Yaw-Huei Hwang)

幼稚園兒童 ； 血液 ； 鉛 ； kindergarten children ； blood ； lead

台灣公共衛生雜誌

31卷3期（2012 / 06 / 01）

285 - 298

繁體中文

Objectives: Children's growth and intellectual development are affected by low-level lead exposure. The aims of this research were to measure the concentration of lead in the blood of the kindergarten children in Taiwan and to explore the relevant determinants in order to prevent future lead exposure. Methods: Random sampling was done at various administrative levels such as district, city, town, and village. Kindergartens from administrative areas that were randomly selected were then invited to participate in this project between April and October 2011. A total of 934 children from the participating kindergartens in the selected areas took part in this study after their parents signed a statement of consent. Blood lead level was determined with inductively coupled plasma. Results: The geometric mean level of lead in the blood of kindergarten children was 1.86 μg/dL (geometric standard deviation =1.55). The percentage of blood lead concentrations exceeding 4 μg/dL was 3.7%. In terms of geographical areas, subjects from the off-shore islands had the highest geometric mean blood lead concentration (2.59 μg/dL), while those in northern Taiwan had the lowest (1.53 μg/dL). Among the counties, children from Kinmen (2.80 μg/dL) and Changhua (2.53 μg/dL) presented with the highest blood lead levels while those in Taoyuan (1.28 μg/dL) and Hsinchu (1.32 μg/dL) had the lowest. Blood lead concentration was negatively correlated with household income and level of parental educational (p ＜ 0.0001). Children whose fathers worked in the industries of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries tended to have higher blood lead levels (＞ 2.20 μg/dL). Conclusions: There is an international consensus to further lower the safety threshold for children's blood lead levels since damage to the brain and nervous system has been reported with blood lead levels less than 10μg/dL. Therefore, even though the blood lead levels of kindergarten children have generally been reduced to 1~3 μg/dL in Taiwan, a referential threshold of 4 μg/dL was suggested in order to enhance the prevention of lead exposure for people at high risk, with efforts on eliminating health disparities and inegualities in the general population.

Objectives: Children's growth and intellectual development are affected by low-level lead exposure. The aims of this research were to measure the concentration of lead in the blood of the kindergarten children in Taiwan and to explore the relevant determinants in order to prevent future lead exposure. Methods: Random sampling was done at various administrative levels such as district, city, town, and village. Kindergartens from administrative areas that were randomly selected were then invited to participate in this project between April and October 2011. A total of 934 children from the participating kindergartens in the selected areas took part in this study after their parents signed a statement of consent. Blood lead level was determined with inductively coupled plasma. Results: The geometric mean level of lead in the blood of kindergarten children was 1.86 μg/dL (geometric standard deviation =1.55). The percentage of blood lead concentrations exceeding 4 μg/dL was 3.7%. In terms of geographical areas, subjects from the off-shore islands had the highest geometric mean blood lead concentration (2.59 μg/dL), while those in northern Taiwan had the lowest (1.53 μg/dL). Among the counties, children from Kinmen (2.80 μg/dL) and Changhua (2.53 μg/dL) presented with the highest blood lead levels while those in Taoyuan (1.28 μg/dL) and Hsinchu (1.32 μg/dL) had the lowest. Blood lead concentration was negatively correlated with household income and level of parental educational (p ＜ 0.0001). Children whose fathers worked in the industries of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries tended to have higher blood lead levels (＞ 2.20 μg/dL). Conclusions: There is an international consensus to further lower the safety threshold for children's blood lead levels since damage to the brain and nervous system has been reported with blood lead levels less than 10μg/dL. Therefore, even though the blood lead levels of kindergarten children have generally been reduced to 1~3 μg/dL in Taiwan, a referential threshold of 4 μg/dL was suggested in order to enhance the prevention of lead exposure for people at high risk, with efforts on eliminating health disparities and inegualities in the general population.

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