Urine Lead in 1430 Pupils in Tangshan

Abstract

PP-29-058 Background/Aims: To investigate the urine lead levels in adolescent in Tangshan, and to provide baseline data in the assessment of lead pollution in children. Methods: Multistage stratified sampling methods are used to choose 1430 pupils in Grade 3–Grade 4 from 67 primary school in 14 counties in Tangshan area. Morning urine (10–30 mL) was collected and sent to our laboratory in 2 hours. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was adopted to measure the lead concentration in urine. The results were expressed as geometric mean. Results: The geometric mean of urine lead was 0.87 μg/L, and the P50, P75, P90, P95 were 1.9 μg/L, 4.3 μg/L, 7.9 μg/L, 11.9 μg/L, respectively. Urine lead level is lower in male (0.78 μg/L) than in female (0.996 μg/L) (t = 2.34, P = 0.0194). Luan Nan County (3.98 μg/L), Zun Hua County (3.58 μg/L), and Luan Xian County (3.15 μg/L) were among the first 3 counties with the highest urine lead. Conclusion: Higher urine lead levels were found in the urban and downtown area in Tangshan, which should be taken as a in environmental monitoring.