Elevated Blood Lead Levels of Children in Guiyu, an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China

TLDR

Electronic waste recycling in Guiyu, China remains primitive and is suspected to raise blood lead levels in local children. The study compared blood lead levels in children from Guiyu with those from the neighboring town of Chendian. Blood lead concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in a cluster sample of 226 children under six from Guiyu and Chendian, and hemoglobin and physical indices were also recorded. Children in Guiyu had significantly higher blood lead levels than those in Chendian, with 81.8 % exceeding 10 μg/dL versus 37.7 %, a trend that increased with age and correlated with the number of e‑waste workshops, yet no differences were seen in hemoglobin or physical growth measures.

Abstract

BackgroundElectronic waste (e-waste) recycling has remained primitive in Guiyu, China, and thus may contribute to the elevation of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children living in the local environment.ObjectivesWe compared the BLLs in children living in the e-waste recycling town of Guiyu with those living in the neighboring town of Chendian.MethodsWe observed the processing of e-waste recycling in Guiyu and studied BLLs in a cluster sample of 226 children < 6 years of age who lived in Guiyu and Chendian. BLLs were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Hemoglobin (Hgb) and physical indexes (height and weight, head and chest circumferences) were also measured.ResultsBLLs in 165 children of Guiyu ranged from 4.40 to 32.67 μg/dL with a mean of 15.3 μg/dL, whereas BLLs in 61 children of Chendian were from 4.09 to 23.10 μg/dL with a mean of 9.94 μg/dL. Statistical analyses showed that children living in Guiyu had significantly higher BLLs compared with those living in Chendian (p < 0.01). Of children in Guiyu, 81.8% (135 of 165) had BLLs > 10 μg/dL, compared with 37.7% of children (23 of 61) in Chendian (p < 0.01). In addition, we observed a significant increasing trend in BLLs with increasing age in Guiyu (p < 0.01). It appeared that there was correlation between the BLLs in children and numbers of e-waste workshops. However, no significant difference in Hgb level or physical indexes was found between the two towns.ConclusionsThe primitive e-waste recycling activities may contribute to the elevated BLLs in children living in Guiyu.