A study conducted by a team of Kenyan and American researchers has uncovered a worrying trend concerning lead exposure among pregnant women residing in Nairobi.
Published in the Journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the study sheds light on the pervasive presence of elevated blood lead levels in pregnant women from informal settlements, potentially jeopardizing learning and school performance of their newborns.
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Focus Areas
The research, spearheaded by scientists from the University of Nairobi and the University of Washington, focused on mothers living in areas notorious for high lead contamination, namely Dandora and Kariobangi.
These settlements are characterized by environmental hazards such as Nairobi’s main dumpsite in Dandora and cottage industries, including informal lead acid battery recycling, in Kariobangi.
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Lead, a well-established neurodevelopmental toxicant capable of crossing the placenta, poses significant risks to fetal development.
Previous studies in Nairobi have reported alarmingly high prevalence rates of blood lead levels exceeding the recommended thresholds, both in pregnant women and children.
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In this latest investigation spanning 2020-2021, researchers measured lead levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood samples obtained from a sample of mothers delivering at a hospital catering to women from these informal settlements.
Study Findings and Insights
The findings revealed a concerning scenario: maternal blood lead levels ranged from 4.0 to 91.2 µg/dL, with an average of 27.3 ± 15.5 µg/dL, while cord blood lead levels ranged from 0.7 to 9.9 µg/dL, averaging 2.7 ± 1.9 µg/dL.
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Shockingly, 23% of cord blood samples and 100% of maternal blood samples exceeded the reference value of 3.5 µg/dL set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Notably, three mothers working as battery recyclers exhibited exceptionally high lead levels, prompting their exclusion from certain analyses.
The study identified several factors associated with elevated lead exposure, including maternal age and living in painted houses.
Each additional year of maternal age correlated with significant increases in both maternal and cord blood lead levels.
Moreover, residing in houses with peeling or chipping lead-based paint emerged as a significant risk factor, highlighting the importance of addressing environmental sources of lead contamination.
The implications of these findings are disturbing, as even low levels of lead exposure have been linked to adverse neurodevelopmental effects in children.
The disparity in lead exposure between high-income countries (HICs) and low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) points to the urgent need for global intervention strategies.
Call for Urgent Interventions
While leaded gasoline has been banned in Kenya since 2006, efforts to phase out lead-based paints have been sluggish, particularly in informal settlements with substandard housing conditions.
Lead paint chips and dust present in the home environment pose a direct threat to children’s health, as they can be easily inhaled or ingested, leading to lead accumulation in vital organs, including the brain.
“The toxic effects of lead on neurodevelopment are attributed to its ability to mimic calcium, disrupting proper neural function during crucial stages of brain development,” reveals the study.
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The researchers further advocate for multilevel strategies akin to those implemented in HICs, including policy changes to eliminate lead from gasoline, stricter regulations on residential paint, and measures to address lead contamination in water infrastructure and food products.
However, the absence of screening, surveillance, and public education on lead hazards in Kenya and other LMICs highlights the need for immediate action to mitigate the adverse effects of lead exposure on vulnerable populations.
