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Lead contamination among pregnant Brazilian women living near a lead smelter

2004; Elsevier BV; Volume: 87; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ijgo.2004.06.001

1879-3479

Luz Estela Alva Zentner, Patrícia Helen de Carvalho Rondó,

Mercury impact and mitigation studies

Lead contamination causes alterations in the renal nervous and hematopoietic systems of individuals depending on the level of exposure absorption and excretion. Although lead-related health problems have primarily been observed in adult populations occupationally exposed to high concentrations of this metal delayed psychomotor development was later reported in children exposed to much lower lead concentrations. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine mean blood lead concentrations in pregnant women living around a lead smelter and (2) to compare mean blood lead concentrations according to the distance from the home of the pregnant women to the lead contamination source. The study was conducted on 55 pregnant women admitted for delivery at the Maternity Hospital of Santo Amaro city Bahia Brazil between June and August 2002. The study was approved by the ethical committees of the Hospital of Santo Amaro city and the School of Public Health. Women not living in the area delimited for this study (5000 m around the factory) were excluded. Two milliliters of venous blood was collected from the women before delivery and 2 ml from the umbilical cord during delivery using heparin as anticoagulant. Lead was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. (excerpt)