EVALUATION OF CHILDRENS BLOOD LEAD LEVEL IN CAIRO, EGYPT

Lead is a highly toxic pollutant, exposure to which can produce wide range of adverse health effects for both adults and children, but childhood lead poisoning is more frequent. There's no safe exposure to lead, CDC has defined an elevated BLL's as 10 ug/dl but evidence exists for subtle effects at lower levels. In Egypt, children are exposed to lead from airborne lead and lead bearing dust The aim of this study was to evaluate lead pollution abatement on children's blood lead level. Data of year 1999 and 2002 has been taken from the lead monitoring stations, which are distributed by EEAA all over the Cairo city, they are used to identify sources of atmospheric lead then to assess a relation between the concentration of lead in 4 areas representing the different activities present in Cairo city and BLLs of children living in these areas. The mean value of blood lead level in the studied population was (4.817±2.97 ug/dl) with a range (1.1-14.3), the mean of children's BLLs living in the traffic areas showed the highest mean, followed by that of the mixed areas then that of the residential areas and finally that of the industrial areas, while the same pattern could be seen also in the atmospheric lead concentration for year 2002 in the studied areas, where the maximum concentration of atmospheric lead was recorded in the traffic areas followed by the mixed areas and finally that of the residential areas. The total mean of atmospheric lead concentration for year 2002 was significantly decreased in comparison to that for year 1999 especially for the industrial areas followed by the residential areas, then the traffic areas, which means by the year 2002, there was a control on emissions of lead from the industrial sources. There were no correlation between concentrations of atmospheric lead during year 2002 and BLLs of children living in the 4 studied areas, because the decreasing percentage of atmospheric lead concentration was not great. Lead is still emitted in Cairo atmosphere and living in traffic dense areas can contribute greatly to childhood lead poisoning, due to vehicles that still using leaded gasoline and enter Cairo every day from other governorates and the resuspension of street dust (lead bearing dust), by the wind, vehicles motion and by anthropogenic activities, in addition to its past contamination with lead, which had been accumulated over years. EEAA & MEAA should continue their efforts to eliminate or control sources of lead pollution, with tighter control on vehicle emissions specially those which are still using leaded gasoline and enter Cairo governorate. To promote legislation supporting lead prevention activities. Researches should continue to screen children for exposure and to provide medical and environmental interventions for those identified with elevated BLLs.