Analysis and its trend of blood lead level of children in Wuhan and the surrounding areas from 2006 to 2008

Objective To analyze the blood lead level of different-aged children and the trend to change in Wuhan and the surrounding areas from 2006 to 2008.Methods The lead content in peripheral blood of 24 980 children was determined by wolfram atomic absorption spectrometer.The children were classified into several groups by age in different forms,and the data were analyzed statistically.Results The mean blood lead level of 24 980 children from Wuhan and the surrounding areas was 58.26 μg/L.Among them,the average blood lead in boys(60.12 μg/L) was higher than girls(54.24 μg/L).The average blood lead levels of the children in year 2006,2007 and 2008 were(67.51±31.02),(60.97±32.58)and(50.32±31.02)μg/L,respectively.In different age groups,the blood lead level in boys was higher than that in girls.In blood lead levels of 24 980 children,44.51% of children accounted for less than 50 μg/L,48.13% accounted for 51-100 μg/L,6.68% accounted for 101-200 μg/L,and 0.68% accounted for 201 μg/L or more.7.35% of the children were found with blood lead level ≥100 μg/L.In year 2006,2007 and 2008,blood lead poisoning rates of the children were 15.88%,7.74% and 2.13%,respectively.In addition,compared with children in outpatients,children with health examination had lower blood lead levels(P0.05).Conclusions From 2006 to 2008,children′s blood lead levels and lead poisoning rates in Wuhan and the surrounding areas have annually decreased,and the trend to descend is remarkable in 2008.