Hair Lead Levels of Children From Two Primary Schools in Urban District and Suburban Area of Xi'an / 环境与健康杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To know the actual level of hair lead levels in children of Xi'an. Methods Hair samples were collected from 203 children aged 7-13 years of an urban primary school and a suburban one during April-June, 2001. The hair lead levels were measured with flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results The geometric mean of hair lead levels of children in urban area was 4.69 ?g/g, while in suburban area it was 1.67 ?g/g. There was a significant difference between them (t=7.78, P=0.001). The younger group had a higher hair lead levels in urban area and suburban area. With age, hair lead levels showed a significant down trend. There was no significant difference had been seen between boys and girls living in the city, but the hair lead levels of rural boys(median 2.92 ?g/g) were higher than rural girls (median 1.52 ?g/g), P=0.02. Rate of high hair lead (13.2%)of urban children, based on the standard (≥10.0 ?g/g), was higher than rural children (1.2%) (?2=9.18, P=0.002). Conclusion The hair lead levels of the children living in urban districts are higher than that in the suburb area of Xi'an city. The rate of high hair lead of urban children was higher than that of the suburban children. The hair lead levels of children aged 7-13 years in Xi'an have showed a down trend with age. There is no significant difference between boys and girls in urban area, but the hair lead levels in suburban boys is higher than that of the suburban girls.