Plasma Lead Levels among Children at a Tertiary Health Care Institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: A  recent  report  of  lead  poisoning  in  children  in Zamfara State, Nigeria, suggests the possibility of unacceptable levels of lead in the soil in this area. However,  lead  contamination  from  casual  home contacts have been poorly documented in this setting.

Aim and Objectives: This study was carried out to evaluate the plasma lead  level  (PLL)  in  children  attending  Paediatric Clinic,  with  the  ultimate  goal  of  detecting  children that have plasma lead level above the permissible limit (<5µgPb/dl), in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.

Materials and Methods: A closed ended questionnaire was administered to caregivers of children aged 12-120 months attending the Children's outpatient (CHOP) clinics and  Paediatric  wards,  of  the  University  College Hospital, Ibadan. Information was obtained on child and parental socio-demographic characteristics, status  of  house  hold  painting,  source  of  drinking water and child's habit that may predispose to lead contamination. The children's blood samples were collected and analyzed for plasma lead levels (PLLs) using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS).

Results: The mean (SD) plasma lead concentration was 2.6 (0.5) µg/dl (ranged 1.5-4.6 µgPb/dl), all the children had PLLs <5µgPb/dl. In multivariate analysis, sex (p=0.71), occupation of parents or guardian (p=0.63), religion (p=0.58), house painted (p=0.17), source of  drinking  water  (p=0.79),  paint  peelings (p=0.08),  sitting  without  support  (0.68),  crawling (p=0.39) and putting of objects in the mouth (p=0.82) had no statistical significant association with PLLs, but children biting the ends of pencils (p <0.001) was statistically significant.

Conclusion: Lead  contamination  was  variable  in  this  group  of Nigerian children. A significant contributory factor to lead contamination is the habit of biting the ends of lead pencils. Parental education to prevent such a risky habit is therefore advocated.