Abstract
ObjectiveLeaded gasoline and lead paints are still in use in the Democratic Republic of Congo but data on blood lead levels in the general population are not available. We evaluated the Pb impregnation in children and adults (0 - 70 years old) in Kinshasa.MethodsBlood lead was measured by atomic absorption in a sample of 485 healthy people (268 men and 217 women) living in Kinshasa between May 2003 and June 2004.ResultsGeometric mean blood lead was 120 µg/L (95% CI: 115-125), with a higher concentration in men than in women (127 vs 114 µg/L, p = 0.01). Sixty-three percent of children aged less than 6 years old presented blood lead levels above the 100 µg threshold. In the adult population, occupations with a potential risk of exposure to gasoline (car mechanics or garage owners, taxi drivers, conveyors and gas pump attendants) were associated with an extra blood lead of about 65µg/L.ConclusionThis study indicates a relatively important Pb impregnation of the Kinshasa population. It demonstrates the existence of a major public health issue requiring corrective actions and the implementation of an appropriate regulation.
Highlights
Lead, which has been used by man for thousands of years because of its many useful physicochemical properties was largely dispersed into the environment where it has been accumulating over centuries.Among populations likely to be exposed, workers, employed to extract or use Pb in their professional activity, paid a heavy price because of the significant toxicity of Pb
Blood lead was determined in 485 volunteers living in Kinshasa, of whom 21% were aged less than 6 years (45% girls and 55% boys)
Mean blood lead for the whole group was 120 μg/L with a range of 34 to 366 μg/L (Table 2)
Summary
Lead, which has been used by man for thousands of years because of its many useful physicochemical properties (easy extraction, malleability, ductility, low fusion point, resistance to corrosion, low electrical conductivity, X-Ray absorption,...) was largely dispersed into the environment where it has been accumulating over centuries.Among populations likely to be exposed, workers, employed to extract or use Pb in their professional activity, paid a heavy price because of the significant toxicity of Pb. Lead, which has been used by man for thousands of years because of its many useful physicochemical properties (easy extraction, malleability, ductility, low fusion point, resistance to corrosion, low electrical conductivity, X-Ray absorption,...) was largely dispersed into the environment where it has been accumulating over centuries. The general population comprises people less or not informed of the risks, carrying risk factors related to age, pregnancy, pathological medical history or even genetic predispositions, without having the protection means from which workers usually benefit. Lead represents a proven danger for health. It affects many systems and organs, mainly the central and peripheral nervous system, the hematopoietic system, the kidney and the male reproductive organs [1,2,3]. Lead accumulates in bone tissue and its elimination from the organism is extremely slow
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