Lead-Glazed Ceramics As Major Determinants of Blood Lead Levels in Mexican Women

Ávila, Mauricio Hernández; Romieu, Isabelle; Rı́os, Camilo; Rivero, Aracely; Palazuelos, Eduardo

doi:10.2307/3431303

Cited by 61 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Further epidemiological studies, conducted during the early 1990s, identified additional sources of exposure: leaded gasoline, as well as use of lead-glazed ceramics for cooking and food storage. In response, public health efforts addressed effective prevention of lead exposures for pregnant women and fetuses [59-62]. Two high-level public officials from the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) recommended that different sectors should work together, updating policy and encouraging translational research and evidence-based health interventions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative analysis of environmental policy and children's health in Mexico

et al. 2010

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BackgroundSince Mexico's joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1994, it has witnessed rapid industrialization. A byproduct of this industrialization is increasing population exposure to environmental pollutants, of which some have been associated with childhood disease. We therefore identified and assessed the adequacy of existing international and Mexican governance instruments and policy tools to protect children from environmental hazards.MethodsWe first systematically reviewed PubMed, the Mexican legal code and the websites of the United Nations, World Health Organization, NAFTA and OECD as of July 2007 to identify the relevant governance instruments, and analyzed the approach these instruments took to preventing childhood diseases of environmental origin. Secondly, we interviewed a purposive sample of high-level government officials, researchers and non-governmental organization representatives, to identify their opinions and attitudes towards children's environmental health and potential barriers to child-specific protective legislation and implementation.ResultsWe identified only one policy tool describing specific measures to reduce developmental neurotoxicity and other children's health effects from lead. Other governance instruments mention children's unique vulnerability to ozone, particulate matter and carbon monoxide, but do not provide further details. Most interviewees were aware of Mexican environmental policy tools addressing children's health needs, but agreed that, with few exceptions, environmental policies do not address the specific health needs of children and pregnant women. Interviewees also cited state centralization of power, communication barriers and political resistance as reasons for the absence of a strong regulatory platform.ConclusionsThe Mexican government has not sufficiently accounted for children's unique vulnerability to environmental contaminants. If regulation and legislation are not updated and implemented to protect children, increases in preventable exposures to toxic chemicals in the environment may ensue.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative analysis of environmental policy and children's health in Mexico

et al. 2010

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“…A previous study demonstrated that people who consume stew made in Pb-glazed pottery are more likely to have high BPb levels of >15 g/dl (Avila et al, 1991). In Santa Fe, like many parts of Mexico, bean stews are very common in the everyday diets for both children and adults.…”

Section: Pb Concentrations In Cooked Bean Stewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental data are particularly useful in providing insights into exposure pathways, and for making recommendations on reduction of Pb exposure and thus reduction of BPb level. In those Mexican villages where residents make a living with pottery production, raw materials used to glaze pottery contain Pb oxide powder which can be easily spread and are accessible to both adults and children (Avila et al, 1991;Fernandez et al, 1997). Therefore, the village residents may receive Pb exposures through many or all of the following major pathways: (a) inhalation of Pb-containing airborne particles; (b) ingestion of Pb-contaminated dust and soils; and (c) ingestion of Pbcontaminated water and food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High lead exposures resulting from pottery production in a village in Michoacán State, Mexico

Hibbert

Bai

Navia³

et al. 1999

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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This paper reports findings from a screening study conducted to examine potential lead (Pb) exposures in residents of a Mexican village where Pb oxide continues to be used in ceramic pottery production. Extremely high Pb concentrations were measured in personal and indoor air samples, household surface dust samples, and household soil samples. Personal air Pb concentrations for workers performing pottery firing and glazing were up to 454 g/m 3 . Results from indoor air samples indicate that airborne Pb concentrations were lower during nonglazing period compared to the glazing period. Soil Pb concentrations measured in 17 homes ranged from 0.39 to 19.8 mg/g. Dust Pb loading on surfaces of household items, hands, and clothes of a worker ranged from 172 to 33 060 g/f t 2 . Pb content as high as 2.4 g/g was found in a bean stew cooked in a pot made in the village. Based on these Pb concentrations measured in multiple media and data adapted for exposure contact rates, we have made rough estimates of Pb exposures via inhalation, soil/dust ingestion, and food ingestion. Estimated total daily Pb intake, on average, is 4.0 mg for adults and 3.4 mg for children living in the village. In the total daily intake, a greatest fraction may be contributed by food ingestion and another significant fraction may come from soil/dust ingestion for the children. Although the sample size is small, these measurements indicate a very significant public health problem for the village residents and a large number of other similar communities in Mexico. (It was estimated that there are approximately 1.5 million glaze potters.) The Pb exposure is implicated in a number of pervasive health problems in the region, and is the cause for national and international attention. Several recommended solutions to this problem range from personal protection and behavioral changes to introduction of alternative glazes.

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“…In Mexico City, water has an alkaline pH that prevents Pb removal from the pipes (6,8), and although Romieu et al (9) found that canned food is still a Pb source, its role has been dedining (8,10).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood lead levels in pregnant women of high and low socioeconomic status in Mexico City.

Farías

Borja-Aburto

Rı́os

et al. 1996

Environ Health Perspect

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This study examined the determinants of blood lead (BPb) in 513 pregnant women in Mexico City: 311 from public hospital prenatal clinics, representing primarily women of low socioeconomic status (SES), and 202 from private hospitals, primarily women of high SES. Overall, BPb levels ranged from 1.38 to 29 micrograms/dl, with geometric means of 6.7 and 11.12 micrograms/dl for women from private and public hospitals, respectively. The crude geometric means difference obtained by t-test was 4.42 (p < 0.001). BPb was measured from January 1994 to August 1995 and showed higher levels during fall and winter and lower levels during spring and summer. The main BPb determinants were the use of lead-glazed ceramics in women from public hospitals and season of the year in women from private hospitals. Consumption of tortillas (corn bread rich in calcium) decreased BPb levels in the lower SES group, but the relationship was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Consumption of milk products significantly (p < 0.05) reduced BPb levels in the higher SES group. In 112 women whose diets were deficient in calcium, taking calcium supplements lowered their blood lead levels about 7 micrograms/dl. A predictive model fitted to these data, using the strongest predictors plus gestational age, showed a difference of 14 micrograms/dl between the best and worst scenarios in women from public hospitals. Avoiding use of lead-glazed ceramics, consuming diets rich in calcium, and, if needed, taking calcium supplements, would be expected to result in substantial lowering of BPb, especially in pregnant women of low socioeconomic status. Images Figure 1. Figure 2.

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Lead-Glazed Ceramics As Major Determinants of Blood Lead Levels in Mexican Women

Cited by 61 publications

References 3 publications

A qualitative analysis of environmental policy and children's health in Mexico

A qualitative analysis of environmental policy and children's health in Mexico

High lead exposures resulting from pottery production in a village in Michoacán State, Mexico

Blood lead levels in pregnant women of high and low socioeconomic status in Mexico City.

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