EFFECT OF INTERVENTIONS ON CHILDRENS BLOOD LEAD LEVELS

Trail, Canada, has been the site of an active lead/zinc smelter for ne arly a century. Since 1991, the Trail Community Lead Task Force has ca rried out blood lead screening, case management, education programs ta rgeted at early childhood groups and the general community, community dust abatement, exposure pathways studies, and remedial trials. From 1 989 through 1996, average blood lead levels of children tested for the first time declined at an average rare of 0.6 mu g/dl/year, while blo od lead levels in Canadian children not living near point sources appe ared to be leveling off following the phase-out of leaded gasoline. Si nce there was no concurrent improvement in local environmental conditi ons during this time, it is possible that the continuing decline in Tr ail blood lead levels has been at least partly due to community-wide i ntervention programs. One year follow-up of children whose families re ceived in-home educational visits, as well as assistance with home-bas ed dust control measures, found that these specific interventions prod uced average blood lead changes of +0.5- -4.0 mu g/dl, with statistica lly significant declines in 3 years out of 5. Education and dust contr ol, particularly actions targeted toward higher risk children, appear to have served as effective and appropriate interim remedial measures while major source control measures have been implemented at the smelt er site.