Identifying Sources of Lead Exposure for Children in the Republic of Georgia, with Lead Isotope Ratios

Giovanni S. Leonardi (), Ekaterine Ruadze, Ayoub Saei, Adam Laycock, Simon Chenery, Helen Crabbe, Elizabeth Marchant, Irma Khonelidze, Lela Sturua, Paata Imnadze, Amiran Gamkrelidze, Michael J. Watts and Tim Marczylo
Additional contact information
Giovanni S. Leonardi: UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
Ekaterine Ruadze: Faculty of Medicine, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 1 Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia
Ayoub Saei: UK Health Security Agency, Statistics Unit, Department of Statistics, Modelling and Economics, London NW9 5EQ, UK
Adam Laycock: UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
Simon Chenery: British Geological Survey, Kingsley Durham Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Helen Crabbe: UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
Elizabeth Marchant: UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
Irma Khonelidze: The National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, Tbilisi 0198, Georgia
Lela Sturua: The National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, Tbilisi 0198, Georgia
Paata Imnadze: Faculty of Medicine, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 1 Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia
Amiran Gamkrelidze: University of Georgia (UG), 77a M. Kostava Street, Tbilisi 0171, Georgia
Michael J. Watts: British Geological Survey, Kingsley Durham Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Tim Marczylo: UK Health Security Agency, Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: In the Republic of Georgia, a 2018 national survey estimated that more than 40% of children aged 2–7 years had a blood lead concentration (BLC) of more than 5 µg/dL. The objective of this study was to document the feasibility of employing lead isotope ratios (LIRs) to identify and rank the Pb (lead) exposure sources most relevant to children across Georgia. A cross-sectional survey between November 2019 and February 2020 of 36 children previously identified as having BLCs > 5 µg/dL from seven regions of Georgia involved the collection of blood and 528 environmental samples, a questionnaire on behaviours and potential exposures. The LIRs in blood and environmental samples were analysed in individual children and across the whole group to ascertain clustering. A fitted statistical mixed-effect model to LIR data first found that the blood samples clustered with spices, tea, and paint, then, further isotopically distinct from blood were sand, dust, and soil, and lastly, milk, toys, pens, flour, and water. Analysis of the LIRs provided an indication and ranking of the importance of Pb environmental sources as explanatory factors of BLCs across the group of children. The findings support the deployment of interventions aimed at managing the priority sources of exposure in this population.

Keywords: lead isotope ratio; blood lead concentration; environmental tracking; public health tracking; children; Georgia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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