Issue 10, 2008

Monitoring of lead load and its effect on neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scores in Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling town in China

Abstract

Guiyu is the major electronic waste (e-waste) recycling town in China. The primary purpose of this study was to measure the lead levels in neonates and examine the correlation between lead levels and neurobehavioral development. One hundred full-term neonates from Guiyu and fifty-two neonates from neighboring towns (control group) in the late summer of 2006 were selected for study. The lead levels in the umbilical cord blood (CBPb) and lead levels in meconium (MPb) of neonates were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA) was conducted on all neonates. A questionnaire related to the exposure to lead of pregnant women was used as a survey of the neonates' mothers. Compared with the control group, neonates in Guiyu had significantly higher levels of lead (P < 0.01), and the mean CBPb and MPb were 113.28 µg L−1 and 2.50 µg g−1, respectively. The relatively high lead levels in the neonates of the Guiyu group were found to correlate with their maternal occupation in relation to e-waste recycling. Neonates with high levels of lead load have lower NBNA scores (P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant difference in NBNA scores between the Guiyu group and the control group by t test (P < 0.05). No correlation was found between CBPb and NBNA scores; however, a negative correlation was found between MPb and NBNA scores (P < 0.01). There is a correlation between relatively high lead levels in the umbilical cord blood and meconium in neonates and the local e-waste recycling activities related to lead contamination. This study suggests that environmental lead contamination due to e-waste recycling have an impact on neurobehavioral development of neonates in Guiyu.

Graphical abstract: Monitoring of lead load and its effect on neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scores in Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling town in China

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Mar 2008
Accepted
20 Aug 2008
First published
16 Sep 2008

J. Environ. Monit., 2008,10, 1233-1238

Monitoring of lead load and its effect on neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scores in Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling town in China

Y. Li, X. Xu, K. Wu, G. Chen, J. Liu, S. Chen, C. Gu, B. Zhang, L. Zheng, M. Zheng and X. Huo, J. Environ. Monit., 2008, 10, 1233 DOI: 10.1039/B804959A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements