High lead exposures resulting from pottery production in a village in Michoacan State, Mexico

This paper reports findings from a screening study conducted to examine pot ential lead (Pb) exposures in residents of a Mexican village where Pb oxide continues to be used in ceramic pottery production. Extremely high Pb conc entrations were measured in personal and indoor air samples, household surf ace dust samples, and household soil samples. Personal air Pb concentration s for workers performing pottery firing and glazing were up to 454 mu g/m(3 ). Results from indoor air samples indicate that airborne Pb concentrations were lower during nonglazing period compared to the glazing period. Soil P b concentrations measured in 17 homes ranged from 0.39 to 19.8 mg/g. Dust P b loading on surfaces of household items, hands, and clothes of a worker ra nged from 172 to 33 060 mu g/ft(2). Pb content as high as 2.4 mu g/g was fo und in a bean stew cooked in a pot made in the village. Based on these Pb c oncentrations measured in multiple media and data adapted for exposure cont act rates, we have made rough estimates of Pb exposures via inhalation, soi l/dust ingestion, and food ingestion. Estimated total daily Pb intake, on a verage, is 4.0 mg for adults and 3.4 mg for children living in the village. In the total daily intake, a greatest fraction may be contributed by food ingestion and another significant fraction may come from soil/dust ingestio n for the children. Although the sample size is small, these measurements i ndicate a very significant public health problem for the village residents and a large number of other similar communities in Mexico. (It was estimate d that there are approximately 1.5 million glaze potters.) The Pb exposure is implicated in a number of pervasive health problems in the region, and i s the cause for national and international attention. Several recommended s olutions to this problem range from personal protection and behavioral chan ges to introduction of alternative glazes.