Lead pollution poses a special hazard to children

Lead pollution poses a special hazard to children
Selected studies showing high blood lead levels among children, 1988-95

COUNTRY (city/region) YEAR RANGE OF BLOOD LEAD LEVELS (micrograms per deciliter) MEAN PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN WITH LEVELS >10 MICROGRAMS PER DECILITER

Argentina (urban) 1989 7-42 22.1±7 NA

Bulgaria
   Haskovo 1995 5.5-19.8   NA
   Kritehim 1991 4.1-15.1   NA
   Kourtove-Kon 1991 6.5-41.3   NA

China
   Shenyang
   (polluted urban)
1991 NA 30.5 99.5
   Shenyang
   (nonpolluted urban)
1991 NA 12.2 67.9
   Beijing
   (polluted suburban)
1992 NA 22.4 64.9
   Shanghai
   (polluted urban)
1988 5.0-55.0 23.4 85.6
   Shanghai
   (nonpolluted suburban)
1988 0-55.0 18.4 88.2

Mexico (urban) 1995 1-31 9.0±5.8 27.8

Poland
   Town with no industrial emitters 1992-94 2.25-2.39   NA
   Town with copper and zinc mills 1992-94 7.37-11.40   NA

Romania
   Bucharest 1995 17.10-21.93   NA

Uruguay 1994 1-31 9.5 NA

Sources: Argentina, Mexico, and Uruguay: Isabelle Romieu et al., “Lead Exposure in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 105, Number 4 (April 1997), p. 404. Bulgaria and Romania: Danish Environmental Protection Agency, “Second Meeting of the Task Force on the Phaseout of Lead in Gasoline,” Working Document Presenting the Preliminary Results of Country Surveys, Part I (May 1997), p. 25. China: Xiao-ming Shen et al., “Childhood Lead Poisoning in China,” The Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 181 (1996), p. 103.

Note: NA = not available.