What is the situation of blood lead levels of children living in Latin America and Caribbean Region?

Abstract

Introduction. Information on the prevalence of lead exposure is essential to formulate efficient policies to public health. Developed countries have implemented successful public policies for the prevention and control of lead poisoning. In the U.S., periodically repeated prevalence studies show that blood lead levels (BLL) in children dropped in general. Although BLL of Latino children in the U.S. have also dropped in more recent years, the geometric mean remains higher than white children. We wanted to assess the BLL of children living in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries, and see if the BLL found were reportedly associated with public policies implemented in these countries. Method. We conducted a literature review covering the period 2000-March 2014 in Pubmed and Lilacs databases, in English and Spanish, searching for studies reporting BLL prevalence in children aged 0-18 years living in LAC countries. No specific analytical method was selected, and given the scarcity of data, the study was very inclusive. Results. 47 papers were selected from 13 different LAC countries. The children’s BLL found in this review can be considered high (≥10µg/dL) when compared to BLL for the same age group in the U.S. However, most part of the studies reported association with some type of “lead hot spot”. Only Peru and Mexico reported BLL in children from population-based studies. Conclusions. Most part of the BLL prevalence studies done in LAC was in areas with known source emissions. The percentage of children at risk of lead poisoning in LAC is unknown, and probably underestimated. Thus, the establishment of public health policies to quantify and prevent lead poisoning is urgent. Priority should be given to identify and control “hot spots”, as the studies we found show that in these places children can be exposed to lead levels similar to those of occupational settings. This study was funded by FAPESP.