0078
BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN EGYPTIAN
CHILDREN: ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HOUSING FACTORS Hakim IA.,
Boseila SA., El-Ashmawy I., Motawie AA., Gabr AA., and Wafay HA. Child Health Department, National
Research Center, Giza, Egypt. Methods: A total of 164 children 9
to 60 months of age, were included in the study. Children were recruited
from two different areas in Giza: El-Katta (a rural village) and Boulak
El-Dakrour, structured questionnaire about the possible risk factors of
lead exposure was administrated to mothers. Blood lead level was determined
by flameless atomic absorption. Results: Mean PbB was found to be
significantly higher (p=0.003) in rural children (15.25 mg/dl) compared to urban children (11.77 mg/dl). Our data show that 55.4% of the children studied have PbB
levels greater than 10 mg/dl,
and 29.2% of these children had PbB levels > 15 mg/dl. Highest average PbB levels were found in younger children
(< 3 years old) and was attributed to the tendency for this age
group to be more engaged in hand to mouth activities. The strongest
associations were found between PbB and whether the child slept on the
floor or lived in a house on a narrow, non-paved road and was attributed to
the tendency for these children to play longer in contaminated indoor and
outdoor environments. Conclusion: This pilot study
provides additional data pointing to childhood lead poisoning as being a
major public health problem in urban as well as rural areas of Egypt.
Objective: This study investigated
the prevalence of elevated blood lead (PbB) in Preschool children, living
in rural and urban Giza, Egypt, and also includes an evaluation of sources
of exposure to this metal in the same areas.