Lead contamination of children with parents professionally exposed: an epidemiological survey

Background: As part of the screening of infantile saturnism in France, a cr oss sectional study has been conducted among 125 children with professional ly lead exposed parents, working in two plants, both located at the edge of a rural village. The aim of this study was to seek a lead contamination of these children by their own parents, who may bring back home after work le ad particles on their clothes, hair or skin. Methods: These children were compared for blood lead levels by logistic reg ression to a reference group made of forty seven nursery school children, i n these villages, without any lead exposed parents. Blood lead levels (< or greater than or equal to 70 mu g/l) were performed for both children group and compared by logistic regression. Moreover parent's blood lead levels ( less than or equal to or >400 mu g/l) and lead air concentrations measured at their own working places (less than or equal to or >100 mu g/m(3), avail able from occupational health services) were also compared To their childre n blood lead levels. Results: Blood lead levels in the "exposed group" were significantly higher than in the control group (OR = 9.9 [3.6-27.3]), all the more so as there were several exposed people in children home. In the exposed group, childre n blood lead levels were both correlated with parents blood lead levels (OR = 8.3 [2.9-24.0]) and lead air concentration measured at their working pla ces (OR=4.2[1.6-10.9]). Conclusions: These results suggest a lend contamination of children by thei r exposed parents, which made it necessary to strengthen individual and col lective lead prevention measures in both plants.