Cottage industry as a source of high exposure to lead: A biomonitoring study among people involved in manufacturing cookware from scrap metal.

In low-income countries, a widespread but poorly studied type of cottage industry consists of melting scrap metal for making cookware. We assessed the exposure to lead (Pb) among artisanal workers, and their families, involved in manufacturing cookware from scrap metal. In a cross-sectional survey, we compared artisanal cookware manufacturing foundries with carpentry workshops (negative controls) and car battery repair workshops (positive controls), all located in residential areas, in Lubumbashi (DR Congo). We collected surface dust in the workspaces, and blood and urine samples among workers, as well as residents living in the cookware workshops. Trace elements were quantified in the samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In surface dust, median Pb concentrations were higher in cookware foundries (347 mg/kg) than in carpentries (234 mg/kg) but lower than in battery repair workshops (22,000 mg/kg). In workers making the cookware (n = 24), geometric mean (GM) Pb blood cencentration was 118 µg/L [interquartile range (IQR) 78.4-204], i.e. nearly twice as high as among carpenters [60.2 µg/L (44.4-84.7), n = 33], and half the concentration of battery repair workers [255 µg/L (197-362), n = 23]. Resident children from the cookware foundries, had higher urinary Pb [6.2 µg/g creatinine (2.3-19.3), n = 6] than adults [2.3 (2.2-2.5), n = 3]. Our investigation confirms the high Pb hazard linked to car battery repair and reveals a high exposure to Pb among artisanal cookware manufacturers and their families, especially children, in residential areas of a city in a low-income country.

Energy Drink Consumption among Adolescents Attending Schools in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of energy drinks (EDs) is increasing in the general population, but little is known about the consumption of EDs among pupils in Africa. This study was designed to assess the consumption of EDs among pupils between 10 and 17 years of age and to assess average caffeine concentrations contained in EDs sold in Lubumbashi. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in five schools using a standardised questionnaire taken face-to-face. Samples of locally purchased EDs were analysed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Ultra-Violet spectrometry (HPLC-UV). RESULTS: Of 338 pupils (54% girls), 63% reported having consumed at least one ED in the last week and 34% drank at least one ED a day. The cheapest ED was the most widely consumed. Among pupils having consumed at least one ED in the last week, 79% reported consuming it for refreshment and 15% to get energy. For those who reported not consuming EDs, 40% reported that their parents or teachers forbade them to drink EDs. Some (14%) teenagers, mainly boys, mixed ED with alcohol. The concentrations of caffeine measured in twelve brands of EDs ranged from 7.6 to 29.4 mg/100 mL (median 23.3), giving caffeine contents of 37.5 to 160 mg (median 90 mg) per can or bottle. The estimated daily intake of caffeine through EDs was between 51.3 mg and 441.3 mg among those consuming EDs regularly. CONCLUSION: Our study convincingly demonstrates that caffeine-containing EDs are not only consumed by youngsters living in affluent societies. We documented widespread regular consumption of EDs among (pre-)adolescent schoolchildren living in Lubumbashi, a large city of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In view of the global market expansion of caffeinated EDs, it is reasonable to suspect that similar surveys in other urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa would yield similar findings. Pricing and advertising regulations and education on EDs are necessary to limit the regular consumption of EDs among adolescents.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Knowledge and Attitudes in Public Markets in the Former Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background. Public markets were exempted from the restrictive regulations instituted to limit the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the early stage of the pandemic, we assessed people's knowledge, attitudes, and behavior on public markets towards COVID-19. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study from 16 to 29 April 2020 among sellers and customers frequenting the food sections of ten public markets in three large cities (Kolwezi, Likasi, and Lubumbashi) and one small town (Lwambo) of the former Katanga province. We administered a questionnaire on knowledge (about clinical characteristics, transmission and prevention) and on attitudes in relation to COVID-19. We also observed prevailing practices (hand-washing and mask-wearing). Results: Of the 347 included participants (83% women, 83% sellers), most had low socioeconomic status and a low level of education. Only 30% of participants had correct knowledge of COVID-19. The majority of the respondents (88%) showed no confidence in the government's ability to manage the upcoming pandemic crisis. Nearly all respondents (98%) were concerned about the associated increase in food insecurity. Preventive practices were rarely in place. Conclusion: For an effective implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Africa, appropriate health education programs to improve knowledge and attitudes are warranted among the population frequenting public markets.