Longitudinal study to monitor blood lead level reduction in 0 to 15 year old children residing at a large community near a lead smelter in Mexico

Abstract

Chronic exposure to environmental lead may cause persistent high blood lead levels with high risk to develop long-term impairments in intellectual function and abnormal behavior in the absence of observable changes in brain morphology or gross neurological deficits. Therefore, the overall objective of this project was to analyze Blood Lead Levels in children chronically exposed to environmental lead and effects of environmental remediation on it. Blood samples from children living near the smelter were analyzed from 1999 to 2011. Throughout these year environmental health and community health programs were implemented with successful gradual reduction of Blood Lead Level and environmental cleanup was observed. The commitment and social responsibility of the smelter played an important role to protect children's health & cleanup the environment.