HYDERABAD: Alarming levels of lead — a poisonous and cancer-causing substance — has been found in blood samples on Hyderabad children spiking concerns among parents and public health activists. The study, conducted by two doctors from State among 68 children in Hyderabad, reported mean lead levels in their blood at 23 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL). According to US standards, anything above 5 ug/dL can lead to lead poisoning. Similar studies conducted among children living in industrial areas of Mumbai and Delhi have reported mean levels of only 11.3 ug/dL and 9.6 ug/dL respectively.
Why so high?
Accidentally, or as a habit, children tend to consume non-nutritive items like mud, clay, stones, chalk, plaster, wall paint flakes, paper or sometimes even coal. While mostly parents tend to overlook this, researchers suspect this to be the major reason for high blood lead levels. Some items like coal and paint contains lead in it, but it’s contamination by air pollution that makes other items equally or sometimes even more poisonous. Not just that; the habit among children to eat non-nutritive items is an eating disorder called ‘pica’ and must be taken up with pediatricians, say experts.
Another reason for high lead levels, according to the study, is occupational exposure. For the study also included children working in places like automobile garages, petrol pumps and battery stores where the exposure is very high. If measures are not taken to ensure children are not employed in these sectors, their lifespan could be seriously impacted, say experts.
Who were studied?
Dr G Raju from Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr N Praveen Kumar from Kamineni Institute of Medical Science tested lead levels in the blood of four groups of children, 17 children with no history of pica or exposure to lead, 7 children having pica, 32 children having only pica and 22 children working at petrol pumps for more than three months. Their mean blood lead levels, were as follows: 23 ug/dL, 37 ug/dL, 31 ug/dL and 36 ug/dL. According to US government’s health agency, children with mean blood lead level over 45 ug/dL need to be administered chelation therapy, a medical treatment that involves injecting chelating agents in the blood stream to remove heavy metals.