[Evaluation of decontamination interventions in 59 homes of children with lead poisoning]

Old peeling paint with high content of lead has been identified as the main source of lead poisoning for children screened in Paris since 1985. In 1989, Médecins Sans Frontières and Migration Santé tested abatement methods in 59 homes of severely lead-poisoned children. The effectiveness of abatement is evaluated with respect to the evolution in dust lead contents and of the children's blood lead levels. Lead content wsas measured in dust samples collected from the floor of the homes before abatement, then every three months after abatement; results are available for 24 homes. Blood lead levels were assessed in the course of the children's medical follow-up; results are available before and after abatement for 78 children living in 41 of the abated homes. The effect of abatement on the children's blood lead level was assessed through multivariate analysis. The median decrease in dust lead contents was 365 micrograms/m2 one to two months after abatement and 300 micrograms/m2 three to six months after abatement. However, dust lead contents of more than 1,000 micrograms/m2 were found in more than half of the communal areas of the buildings six to twenty-eight months after abatement. For 2 of the families, abatement was associated with an increase in the children's blood lead-levels. For all of the other children, abatement was associated with a significant decrease in blood lead levels, controlling for the child's age and initial lead poisoning level, and for the overall downward trend in blood lead levels over time since the initial screening.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)