Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China

Abstract

BackgroundElectronic waste (e-waste) recycling has remained primitive in Guiyu, China, and thus may contribute to the elevation of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children living in the local environment.ObjectivesWe compared the BLLs in children living in the e-waste recycling town of Guiyu with those living in the neighboring town of Chendian.MethodsWe observed the processing of e-waste recycling in Guiyu and studied BLLs in a cluster sample of 226 children < 6 years of age who lived in Guiyu and Chendian. BLLs were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Hemoglobin (Hgb) and physical indexes (height and weight, head and chest circumferences) were also measured.ResultsBLLs in 165 children of Guiyu ranged from 4.40 to 32.67 μg/dL with a mean of 15.3 μg/dL, whereas BLLs in 61 children of Chendian were from 4.09 to 23.10 μg/dL with a mean of 9.94 μg/dL. Statistical analyses showed that children living in Guiyu had significantly higher BLLs compared with those living in Chendian (p < 0.01). Of children in Guiyu, 81.8% (135 of 165) had BLLs > 10 μg/dL, compared with 37.7% of children (23 of 61) in Chendian (p < 0.01). In addition, we observed a significant increasing trend in BLLs with increasing age in Guiyu (p < 0.01). It appeared that there was correlation between the BLLs in children and numbers of e-waste workshops. However, no significant difference in Hgb level or physical indexes was found between the two towns.ConclusionsThe primitive e-waste recycling activities may contribute to the elevated BLLs in children living in Guiyu.

Use of scalp hair as indicator of human exposure to heavy metals in an electronic waste recycling area

“…3). The Pb levels of these children (GM: 29.6 mg/g) were also much higher than those in the control subjects, supporting previous studies regarding elevated blood lead levels of children in e-waste recycling areas (Huo et al, 2007;Zheng et al, 2008). The subjects in the 26-55 age groups are more likely to be directly involved in e-waste recycling activities and correspondingly, the highest GMs of Cd, Cu and Pb were also found in those groups compared to the younger and older groups.…”

“…Dismantling workers and residents are then at risk of being exposed to toxic levels of these metals through inhalation of fumes, ingestion of dust, and intake of contaminated food and drinking water. These concerns were further supported by the findings of significantly elevated blood lead levels in children ( six years old) in the same area (Huo et al, 2007). Lead and cadmium are toxic heavy metals and can also enter the body of non-occupationally exposed individuals in minute amounts through smoking, drinking water and food.…”

High levels of heavy metals in rice (Oryzasativa L.) from a typical E-waste recycling area in southeast China and its potential risk to human health

“…If taking the whole contamination through dietary into consideration, the Cd and Pb dietary exposure for the local population in this area would probably reach unsound levels. Huo et al (2007) have recently reported elevated Pb levels in blood samples from children in Guiyu, another E-waste recycling center in China. Our metal analysis results suggest that this phenomenon may recur in Taizhou partly due to the heavy contamination of Pb in rice, though this needs further study.…”

Lead bioaccessibility in 12 contaminated soils from China: Correlation to lead relative bioavailability and lead in different fractions

“…Lead (Pb) exposure has been ofmajor public concern due to its well-established adverse neuro-behavioral effects on children [1,2].After phasingoutof Pb from gasoline and paint, child blood Pblevelshave significantly declinedworldwide [3,4].However, in Pb-contaminated sites such as mining andsmelting areas, childhood Pbpoisoning is still of concern [5,6].Lead exposure to children near Pb-contaminated areas include incidental ingestion of soils via hand-to-mouth behaviors and inhalation of resuspended soil particles [7,8]. Themean soil ingestion rate for children ranges from 1.2 to 23mg soil per day [9].…”