ELEVATED ENVIRONMENTAL LEAD LEVELS IN A DAY-CARE SETTING

Objective: To determine the risk of lead poisoning among children enro lled in day care centers with elevated environmental lead burdens. Des ign: Survey. Setting: Six day care centers on properties owned by a ma jor state-supported university. Patients and Other Participants: One h undred fifty-five of 234 eligible children (mean age, 4.8 years) enrol led in these centers were screened by questionnaire for risk factors o f lead exposures. Blood samples for lead levels were also obtained. Ob servations of day care activities relative to lead exposure risks were recorded. Analyses of lead levels in paint, dust, and/or soil samples at the six centers were obtained. Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence o f elevated blood lead levels and associated behavioral risk factors fo r lead exposure in children attending day care centers. Results: Eleva ted levels of lead in paint (2.4% to 40% lead) were present in all day care facilities. Three day care centers had elevated lead levels in w indowsill dust (62 000 to 180 000 g of lead per square meter) or soil (530 to 1100 mg of lead per kilogram). Questionnaires documented low r isk for lead exposure to children in the home environments. Direct obs ervations in the day care setting revealed optimal supervision and hyg iene of the children. Blood lead levels were less than 0.5 mu mol/L (1 0 mu g/dL) in all but one of the 155 children screened. Conclusions: C hildren attending day care centers with high environmental lead burden s need further documentation of blood lead levels, at-risk behaviors, and lead exposure risks in the home environments as an adjunct to the instigation of lead abatement procedures at the day care centers.