Risk-Factor Based Lead Screening and Correlation with Blood Lead Levels in Pregnancy

The construction and validation of a lead exposure screening tool for pregnant women in Thailand (ThaiL8Is)

“…The mean BLLs in pregnant women in the validation area was 4.84 ± 1.61 μg/dL and in the implementation area, 5.87 ± 2.13 μg/dL. Both areas have BLLs higher than pregnant women in Japan (the median was 0.63 μg/dL, with a range of 0.16–7.50 μg/dL) [ 35 ] and the United States (the median was 0.20 μg/dL, with a range of 0.00–6.40 μg/dL) [ 19 ]. This demonstrates the need for urgent action to protect pregnant women from lead exposure.…”

“…This is potentially due to the screening items being appropriate for the characteristics of pregnant women living in Thailand. Furthermore, ThaiL8Is include biological indicators, which are routine lab tests for pregnant women, whereas previous studies considered only risk factors [ 18 , 19 ], such as one study in France, which recommended three items: the use of traditional cosmetics, degraded old housing, and eating bread more than twice a day [ 18 ]. In addition, the technique of selecting the items affects the performance of the test [ 36 ].…”

“…It is a fast, simple, non-invasive and inexpensive method. Although screening tools for lead exposure in pregnant women have been developed in several countries, including the United States of America (USA) and France [ 18 , 19 ], distinct lead risk factors must be evaluated for each group as the screening tools will produce different results in various populations [ 20 ]. Moreover, the technique of selecting the items affects the performance of the test.…”