Associations between Soil Lead and Childhood Blood Lead in Urban New Orleans and Rural Lafourche Parish of Louisiana

Mielke, Howard W.; Dugas, Dianne; Mielke, Paul W.; Smith, Kabrina S.; Smith, Stephanie L.; Gonzales, Chris

doi:10.2307/3433875

Cited by 25 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The fate of deposited Pb then depends on the conditions of the depositional area. Although intersections of busy streets may have received over one metric ton of Pb per year (Mielke et al, 1997), their impervious surfaces lead to continual runoff of Pb-enriched particulates down storm drains (and from there into treatment plants or directly into rivers). If the particulate Pb is deposited instead on a grassy fringe, like a front yard or park, the Pb can be effectively retained.…”

Section: Roadway Sources Of Pbmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Lead Poisoning and Medical Geology: An Unfinished Story

Filippelli¹,

Laidlaw²,

Latimer³

et al. 2005

Gsa Today

115

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The intersection between geological sciences and human health, termed medical geology, is gaining significant interest as we understand more completely coupled biogeochemical systems. An example of a medical geology problem largely considered solved is that of lead (Pb) poisoning. With aggressive removal of the major sources of Pb to the environment, including Pb-based paint, leaded gasoline, and lead pipes and solder, the number of children in the United States affected by Pb poisoning has been reduced by 80%, down to a current level of 2.2%. In contrast to this national average, however, about 15% of urban children exhibit blood Pb levels above what has been deemed "safe" (10 µg per deciliter); most of these are children of low socioeconomic-status minority groups. We have analyzed the spatial relationship between Pb toxicity and metropolitan roadways in Indianapolis and conclude that Pb contamination in soils adjacent to roadways, the cumulative residue from the combustion of leaded gasoline, is being remobilized. Developing strategies to remove roadway Pb at the source is a matter of public health and social justice, and constitutes perhaps the final chapter in this particular story of medical geology. IS ALSO ONLINE To view GSA Today online, go to www.gsajournals.org and click on "Online Journals" then on the cover of GSA Today. You can also view back issues through the "Archives" button. Access to GSA Today online is free.

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Section: Roadway Sources Of Pbmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Lead Poisoning and Medical Geology: An Unfinished Story

Filippelli¹,

Laidlaw²,

Latimer³

et al. 2005

Gsa Today

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lead is a ubiquitous contaminant in urban soils (de Miguel et al, 1998; Mielke, 1994; Shinn et al, 2000). Elevated soil Pb concentrations have been linked to increased blood Pb in children (Aschengrau et al, 1994; Lanphear et al, 1998; Mielke et al, 1997). The primary pathways of exposure are considered to be direct ingestion of Pb‐contaminated soils and inhalation of high‐Pb dust (Aschengrau et al, 1994; de Miguel et al, 1998).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐Iron Biosolids Compost–Induced Changes in Lead and Arsenic Speciation and Bioaccessibility in Co‐contaminated Soils

et al. 2012

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The safety of urban farming has been questioned due to the potential for contamination in urban soils. A laboratory incubation, a field trial, and a second laboratory incubation were conducted to test the ability of high-Fe biosolids-based composts to reduce the bioaccessibility of soil Pb and As in situ. Lead and As bioaccessibility were evaluated using an in vitro assay. Changes in Pb, As, and Fe speciation were determined on select samples after the second laboratory incubation using μ-X-ray fluorescence mapping followed by μ-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). A compost with Fe added to wastewater treatment residuals (Fe WTR compost) added to soils at 100 g kg decreased Pb bioaccessibility in both laboratory incubations. Mixed results were observed for As. Composts tested in the field trial (Fe added as Fe powder or FeCl) did not reduce bioaccessible Pb, and limited reductions were observed in bioaccessible As. These composts had no effect on Pb bioaccessibility during the second laboratory incubation. Bulk XANES showed association of Pb with sulfates and carbonates in the control soil. μ-XANES for three points in the Fe WTR amended soil showed Pb present as Fe-sorbed Pb (88 and 100% of two points) and pyromorphite (12 and 53% of two points). Bulk XANES of the Fe WTR compost showed 97% of total Fe present as Fe. The results of this study indicate that addition of high-Fe biosolids compost is an effective means to reduce Pb accessibility only for certain types of Fe-rich materials.

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“…New Orleans, Louisiana, is an old city with architecturally distinguished wood houses that were mostly constructed pre-1950 when lead-based paints were in common use (1). In the United States, about 10 million metric tons of Pb went into paint products and antiknock additives for gasoline (2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple metal contamination from house paints: consequences of power sanding and paint scraping in New Orleans.

Mielke

Powell

Shah

et al. 2001

Environ Health Perspect

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Power sanding exterior paint is a common practice during repainting of old houses in New Orleans, Louisiana, that triggers lead poisoning and releases more than Pb. In this study we quantified the Pb, zinc, cadmium, manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, and vanadium in exterior paint samples collected from New Orleans homes (n = 31). We used interior dust wipes to compare two exterior house-painting projects. House 1 was measured in response to the plight of a family after a paint contractor power sanded all exterior paint from the weatherboards. The Pb content (approximately 130,000 microg Pb/g) was first realized when the family pet died; the children were hospitalized, the family was displaced, and cleanup costs were high. To determine the quantity of dust generated by power sanding and the benefits of reducing Pb-contaminated dust, we tested a case study house (house 2) for Pb (approximately 90,000 microg/g) before the project was started; the house was then dry scraped and the paint chips were collected. Although the hazards of Pb-based paints are well known, there are other problems as well, because other toxic metals exist in old paints. If house 2 had been power sanded to bare wood like house 1, the repainting project would have released as dust about 7.4 kg Pb, 3.5 kg Zn, 9.7 g Cd, 14.8 g Cu, 8.8 g Mn, 1.5 g Ni, 5.4 g Co, 2.4 g Cr, and 0.3 g V. The total tolerable daily intake (TTDI) for a child under 6 years of age is 6 microg Pb from all sources. Converting 7.4 kg Pb to this scale is vexing--more than 1 billion (10(9)) times the TTDI. Also for perspective, the one-time release of 7.4 x 10(9) microg of Pb dust from sanding compares to 50 x 10(9) microg of Pb dust emitted annually per 0.1 mile (0.16 km) from street traffic during the peak use of leaded gasoline. In this paper, we broaden the discussion to include an array of metals in paint and underscore the need and possibilities for curtailing the release of metal dust.

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Associations between Soil Lead and Childhood Blood Lead in Urban New Orleans and Rural Lafourche Parish of Louisiana

Cited by 25 publications

References 13 publications

Urban Lead Poisoning and Medical Geology: An Unfinished Story

Urban Lead Poisoning and Medical Geology: An Unfinished Story

High‐Iron Biosolids Compost–Induced Changes in Lead and Arsenic Speciation and Bioaccessibility in Co‐contaminated Soils

Multiple metal contamination from house paints: consequences of power sanding and paint scraping in New Orleans.

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