LEAD RISK ASSESSMENT FOR CHILDREN
IN HUNGARY BY PREDICTING THEIR
BLOOD LEAD LEVELS USING US EPA
INTEGRATED EXPOSURE UPTAKE
BIOKINETIC MODEL
Hassanien M. A. 1 , Horváth A. 2
National Research Center, Environmental Protection Research Division, Air Research and Pollution Control Department, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
2 National Institute for Environmental Health of "József Fodor" National Public Health Center, Budapest, Hungary |
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Summary:
The US EPA integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK 0.99d) lead exposure for children was validated, updated, and applied to
predict mean blood lead levels based on lead uptake from multiple sources and provide assessment of risk. Surveys were carried out around
houses in a polluted area (Heves, Hungary) in 1995. The collected data from that area have shown very high levels of lead in soil. In some
cases the level of lead in soil has reached more than 1000 times the allowable limit value used (100 mg/kg) in Hungary. Moreover, the
concentration of lead in air was measured and the concentration of lead in air varied from 0.05–1.83 mg/m 3. The environmental data within
the community were used to predict the children blood lead levels and to compare the observed estimates with the other predicted ones.
The age of the investigated group of children varied from 0–60 months. The estimated blood lead levels have illustrated variation according
to age, sex, and the specific site. It can be concluded from this study that the model can be used on a wide range to give us an excellent
picture for site cleanup, to decision makers, and finally to use the environmental data to predict blood lead level for the community or
population. Results of several validation exercises utilizing the IEUBK model comparing predicted and measured blood lead levels with
international guidelines and the percent of risk of exceeding a specific blood lead level (i.e., 10 mg/dl) are presented in this paper.
Key words:
blood lead, environmental lead, risk assessment, children, IEUBK model
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