Children?s blood lead levels in Latin America and the Caribbean-Recommendations to combat this well-known persistent public health problem

This review provides recent evidence on blood lead levels (BLLs) of children living in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and identifies the most recent findings on recommen-dations to combat this public health problem. Most of the ar-ticles reviewed evaluate BLL in areas with the potential risk of lead contamination, but a small number investigated associa-tions with health outcomes. The results show that, of the few studies reviewed evaluating BLL, almost half showed average concentrations that exceeded recommended limits. The rec-ommendations we have provided represent the most current set for the prevention of childhood lead contamination. How-ever, the main obstacle to implementation is the non-prioritization of actions in political processes, a barrier that needs to be overcome.

Automated summary

This review presents recent evidence on blood lead levels of children in Latin America and the Caribbean, and highlights the latest recommendations to address this public health issue. Most of the reviewed articles focus on evaluating BLL in areas at risk of lead contamination, with only a few investigating associations with health outcomes. The findings indicate that nearly half of the studies evaluating BLL reported average concentrations exceeding recommended limits. The recommendations provided in this review represent the current best practices for preventing childhood lead contamination. However, the main challenge lies in prioritizing actions in political processes.