| Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China Xia Huo, Lin Peng, Xijin Xu, Liangkai Zheng, Bo Qiu, Zongli Qi, Bao Zhang, Dai Han, and Zhongxian Piao Central Laboratory and the Key Immunopathology Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China Abstract
Background: Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has remained primitive in Guiyu, China, and thus may contribute to the elevation of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children living in the local environment. Objectives: We compared the BLLs in children living in the e-waste recycling town of Guiyu with those living in the neighboring town of Chendian. Methods: We observed the processing of e-waste recycling in Guiyu and studied BLLs in a cluster sample of 226 children < 6 years of age who lived in Guiyu and Chendian. BLLs were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Hemoglobin (Hgb) and physical indexes (height and weight, head and chest circumferences) were also measured. Results: BLLs in 165 children of Guiyu ranged from 4.40 to 32.67 µg/dL with a mean of 15.3 µg/dL, whereas BLLs in 61 children of Chendian were from 4.09 to 23.10 µg/dL with a mean of 9.94 µg/dL. Statistical analyses showed that children living in Guiyu had significantly higher BLLs compared with those living in Chendian (p < 0.01) . Of children in Guiyu, 81.8% (135 of 165) had BLLs > 10 µg/dL, compared with 37.7% of children (23 of 61) in Chendian (p < 0.01) . In addition, we observed a significant increasing trend in BLLs with increasing age in Guiyu (p < 0.01) . It appeared that there was correlation between the BLLs in children and numbers of e-waste workshops. However, no significant difference in Hgb level or physical indexes was found between the two towns. Conclusions: The primitive e-waste recycling activities may contribute to the elevated BLLs in children living in Guiyu. Key words: children, China, environmental, e-waste, Guiyu, lead. Environ Health Perspect 115:1113–1117 (2007) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9697 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 28 March 2007]
Address correspondence to X. Huo, Central Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xinling Rd., Shantou 515031, Guangdong, Peoples Republic of China. Telephone: 086-754-8900307. Fax: 086-754-8566774. E-mail: xhuo@stu.edu.cn This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 5008352) and the Shih Wing Ching Foundation Limited of Hong Kong, with matching funds from Shantou University Medical College. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Shantou University Medical College. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 8 September 2006 ; accepted 28 March 2007.
Correction In the Abstract and Discussion, the percentage of Guiyu children with BLLs > 10 µg/dL has been corrected from 88% in the original manuscript published online to 81.8%.
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