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Effect of interventions on children's blood lead levels
Insights
Community interventions, including education and dust control, significantly reduced children's blood lead levels in Trail, Canada. These programs provided effective interim measures during smelter remediation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Public Health
- Toxicology
Background:
- Trail, Canada, has a century-long history of lead/zinc smelting.
- Elevated blood lead levels in children pose significant health risks.
- Community-led initiatives were implemented to mitigate lead exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of community-wide intervention programs on children's blood lead levels.
- To assess the impact of specific measures like education and dust control.
- To determine if interventions served as effective interim solutions.
Main Methods:
- Blood lead screening and case management since 1991.
- Community education programs for early childhood groups and the general public.
- Dust abatement and exposure pathway studies.
- Follow-up assessments of children receiving in-home educational visits and dust control assistance.
Main Results:
- Average blood lead levels in children declined by 0.6 microg/dl/year from 1989-1996.
- Interventions, particularly in-home education and dust control, showed statistically significant declines in blood lead levels in 3 out of 5 years.
- Specific interventions resulted in average blood lead changes ranging from +0.5 to -4.0 microg/dl.
Conclusions:
- Community intervention programs, including education and dust control, appear to have contributed to the decline in children's blood lead levels.
- These measures were effective as interim solutions while major source control at the smelter was ongoing.
- Targeted interventions for high-risk children are recommended.
Abstract:
Trail, Canada, has been the site of an active lead/zinc smelter for nearly a century. Since 1991, the Trail Community Lead Task Force has carried out blood lead screening, case management, education programs targeted at early childhood groups and the general community, community dust abatement, exposure pathways studies, and remedial trials. From 1989 through 1996, average blood lead levels of children tested for the first time declined at an average rate of 0.6 microg/dl/year, while blood lead levels in Canadian children not living near point sources appeared to be leveling off following the phase-out of leaded gasoline. Since there was no concurrent improvement in local environmental conditions during this time, it is possible that the continuing decline in Trail blood lead levels has been at least partly due to community-wide intervention programs. One year follow-up of children whose families received in-home educational visits, as well as assistance with home-based dust control measures, found that these specific interventions produced average blood lead changes of +0.5- -4.0 microg/dl, with statistically significant declines in 3 years out of 5. Education and dust control, particularly actions targeted toward higher risk children, appear to have served as effective and appropriate interim remedial measures while major source control measures have been implemented at the smelter site.