Lead screening in children presenting to three hospitals in Lebanon

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2022-03, Vol.107 (3), p.251-256
• Main Authors: El Zahran, Tharwat, Mostafa, Hala, Hamade, Hani, Al Hariri, Moustafa, Saab, Aed, Tamim, Hani, Tohme, Rasha, Al Hamod, Dany A, Sinno, Durriyah, Sawaya, Rasha Dorothy, Kazzi, Ziad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antisocial Behavior; Blood levels; Brochures; Caregivers; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Cross-Sectional Studies; data collection; Disease control; Education; Educational Status; Emergency medical care; Environmental Exposure; epidemiology; Family income; Female; Followup Studies; Fuels; Gasoline; Global child health; Health Conditions; health services research; Hospitals; Households; Humans; Infant; Lead; Lead - blood; Lead content; Lead poisoning; Lead Poisoning - diagnosis; Lead Poisoning - epidemiology; Learning Problems; Lebanon - epidemiology; Logistic Models; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Mothers; Multivariate analysis; Outcome Measures; Pediatrics; Poisoning; Pregnancy; Public health; Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Statistical Analysis; statistics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Toxicity; toxicology
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322012

BackgroundLead damages most body organs and its effects are most profound in children. In a study in Beirut in 2003, before banning the leaded gasoline, 79% of the participants showed blood lead levels (BLLs) higher than 5 µg/dL. The prevalence of lead exposure in Lebanon after the ban on leaded gasoline has not been studied. This study assessed the BLL in Lebanese children aged 1–6 years.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals in Beirut. The children’s BLLs were tested, and their caregiver completed a questionnaire to identify subgroups at risk of exposure. Participants were provided with a WHO brochure highlighting the risks of lead.ResultsNinety children with a mean age of 3.5±1.5 years were enrolled in the study and had a mean BLL of 1.1±0.7 µg/dL, with all values being below 5.0 µg/dL, showing a marked decrease in BLL compared with the mean BLL before the ban on leaded gasoline in 2002. Having a father or a mother with a college degree (p=0.01 and p=0.035, respectively) and having a monthly household income greater than $1000 (p=0.021) were associated with significantly lower BLL. Having more rooms at home and residing close to construction sites were associated with a significantly lower BLL (p=0.001 and p=0.026, respectively). Residing in a house aged >40 years and receiving traditional remedies were associated with a significantly higher BLL (p=0.009 and p