Blood lead levels of primary-school children in Penghu County, Taiwan: distribution and influencing factors

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the blood lead levels (BLLs) of primary-school children aged 7 to 12 in Penghu island and to determine the factors affecting their BLLs. Methods: A total of 1,885 participants were recruited and BLLs were measured with a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer. A questionnaire was used to collect personal information. Results: The results indicated that the mean BLL of primary-school children in Penghu was 6.0 +/- 2.4 mug/dl (1.0similar to29.3 mug/dl). The mean BLL of schoolboys (n = 1,046) was 6.3 +/- 2.6 mug/dl, with a maximum of 29.3 mug/dl, while the mean BLL of schoolgirls (n = 839) was 5.7 +/- 2.2 mug/dl, with a maximum of 23.4 mug/dl. Risk-factor analysis showed that personal characteristics (i.e., gender, frequency of milk consumption, grade levels) and geographic factors (i.e., levels of urbanization) significantly influence the BLLs. However, there was no significant impact on BLLs from drinking water, residential distance from a major road, and living close to lead-emitting sources. Conclusions: Geographical factors were highly associated with BLLs. The BLLs of the primary-school children living in the main Penghu island were lower than those in the other small islands.