Lead and Arsenic in Shed Deciduous Teeth of Children Living Near a Lead-Acid Battery Smelter

Lead (Pb) is a potent neurotoxicant with no safe level of exposure. Elevated levels of Pb and arsenic (As) are found in the air and soil near facilities that recycle lead-acid batteries in the United States. In urban Los Angeles County, California, a facility processed similar to 11 million batteries per year and operated for decades without proper environmental review. Measuring Pb and As in shed deciduous teeth is a promising technique to assess prenatal and early life exposure. In this pilot study coined the Truth Fairy Project, 50 shed deciduous teeth from 43 children living their entire lives within 2 miles of the smelter were analyzed to understand retrospective exposure to toxic metals using a community-driven research approach. Concentrations of Pb and As in teeth were assessed using laser-ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Soil Pb concentrations were determined using spatial kriging of surface soil measurements. The mean prenatal calcium normalized Pb levels in teeth samples (reported as a ratio Pb-205:Ca-43) was 4.104 x 10(-4) (SD 4.123 x 10(-4)), and the mean postnatal Pb-208:Ca-43 level was 4.109 x 10(-4) (SD 3.369 x 10(-4)). Adjusted for maternal education and batch, we observe positive significant relationship between prenatal teeth Pb per 100 ppm increase in soil Pb (beta = 3.48, 95% CI 1.11, 5.86). The Truth Fairy study suggests prenatal and early life exposure to toxic metals is associated with legacy soil contamination in an urban community near a smelter.