Blood lead levels of concern in 25% of children in France
Some 4,400 cases of lead poisoning (acute or chronic poisoning with lead) were recorded in France between 2008 and 2009 in children aged 1 to 6 years, according to a study by the Institute of Health Surveillance (VS) published in the Bulletin Epidemiological Record (BEH).
The survey “shows that the number of children 1 to 6 years with a higher blood lead greater than 100 micrograms per liter (definition of childhood lead poisoning) was divided by 20 from 1995 to 1996 (previous study)” . The prevalence of childhood lead poisoning was estimated at 2.1% is now estimated at 0.1%.
The affected children usually live in a “degraded habitat” with “an overcrowding housing” and a “social factors”.
These results show that the preventive action for 15 years (eliminating leaded gasoline, improving nutrition, water treatment, public distribution, habitat improvement, control of industrial emissions) have been effective, JA report.
The study also shows that 25% of children aged 1 to 6 years have blood lead levels above 25 micrograms per liter and 5% blood lead levels exceeding 34 micrograms / liter. ‘That remains a concern because lead is a poison for which there is no known threshold below which there would be no effect: recent studies show adverse effects on cognitive and motor development of children levels impregnation, as low, “the report said.
“We must act on the sources of exposure still exist to reduce the infiltration of children in France. The additional statistical analysis of data collected in the survey InVS to better understand what are the dominant sources of infiltration present “.
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Tags: blood level, Bulletin Epidemiological Record, children, children blood