Premium
The Fremantle Lead Study
Author(s) -
WILLIS FR,
ROSSI E,
BULSARA M,
SLATTERY MJ
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1995.tb00821.x
Subject(s) - medicine , serum ferritin , ferritin , lead (geology) , risk factor , cross sectional study , pediatrics , lead exposure , blood lead level , demography , environmental health , pathology , geology , cats , geomorphology , sociology
Objective: To ascertain blood lead levels in a sample of preschool children from Fremantle, Western Australia, and to correlate these with possible risk factors. Methodology The study was a cross‐sectional prevalence survey of 120 children from day‐care centres and 44 hospital inpatients. Blood lead and ferritin levels were determined and a risk factor questionnaire was completed by parents. Results Of the 164 children 25.6% had lead levels above the NH&MRC goal (<10μg/dL). Nine of 133 (6.7%) had ferritin levels below 10 μg/L suggesting iron deficiency. Excessive blood lead concentrations as defined by the NH&MRC (>9μg/dL) related to: child's presence during house renovation (OR 3.35, P = 0.007, 95% Cl 1.39‐8.81); Aboriginality (OR 6.4, P = 0.008, 95% Cl 1.6‐24.9), and, in the 9‐24 month age group, inversely to distance between home and a road carrying >7000 vehicles/day (r‐0.56, P = 0.009, n = 24). Conclusions A group of Fremantle children with unacceptably high blood lead levels has been identified. Renovation of older housing and Aboriginality are important risk factors.