Abstract

ORDONEZ, Blanca Raquel; ROMERO, Lidia Ruiz  and  MORA, Refugio. Epidemiologic study of lead levels in children and in the household environment in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México, and an area near a foundry in El Paso, Texas, USA. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2003, vol.45, suppl.2, pp.281-295. ISSN 0036-3634.

A representative overall sampling of households in Ciudad Juárez, plus 100 per cent of the households in an area northwest of that city near a foundry in El Paso, Texas, were studied to determine the bloodlead level of at least one child within the 1-to-9 year age range in each home and the lead content of the dust inside the house and the dirt on its yard or grounds. The occupational risk was studied, as was the risk of lead intake from food prepared in enamel cooking utensils. Bloodlead levels were found to be highest in children whose homes were closest to the foundry. There was a positive correlation between bloodlead levels and the lead content of the dust in the home and the dirt in its yard or grounds. No association was established between the higher lead levels and occupational hazards or the use of enamel cooking utensils that give of lead.

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