Lead Exposure Risk and Toxicity: A Review of Situational Trends in Nigeria

Abstract

The low priority for lead exposure control in Nigeria makes lead toxicity highly prevalent and an issue of public health importance. This situation is demonstrated by the established low awareness, weak regulation and recent events of large scale acute lead poisoning resulting in the deaths of many children in Nigeria. It is on this background that this review evaluates the various perspectives of lead exposure, toxicity and control in Nigeria through literature search of indexes and databases with the following keywords: Lead levels; exposure; toxicity; poisoning; Nigeria. The review provides historical perspectives of lead exposure trends in Nigeria; aggregates evidence for situational assessment and summarizes existing knowledge to guide further action and research. The review is structured in line with the framework for lead exposure by Fewtrell et al covering the distal and proximal sources of exposure and the health effects. The review established that in spite of the reduction of leaded gasoline in Nigeria, lead exposure and toxicity from other sources is perturbing with high blood lead and lead in other sources like paint, water, air and food. In addition lead producing activities like mining and other industrial and artisanal process which occur occupationally and environmentally remain poorly regulated. The challenges for successful lead prevention and control in Nigeria include low awareness, poor surveillance and weak occupational regulation. Additional factors are the absence of screening for risk groups and implementation of rehabilitation and preventive programs. The current levels of lead exposure in Nigeria remain unacceptable, yet little attention is paid to the consequences which have a huge burden on health and the economy. It is imperative that lead exposure prevention and control be made a national public health emergency and prioritized for national action to reduce the burden of lead exposure in Nigeria.