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. 2013 Jun;121(6):A190-5.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.121-a190.

Unsafe harbor? Elevated blood lead levels in refugee children

Charles W Schmidt

Unsafe harbor? Elevated blood lead levels in refugee children

Charles W Schmidt. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Jun.

Erratum in

  • Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Aug;121(8):A240
No abstract available

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Figures

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Sudanese refugees in their living room in Kansas City, Missouri. Although some refugees come to the United States with elevated blood lead, others are exposed only after their arrival. For these people, living in older housing with lead-based paint is often the cause of their exposure. Todd Feeback/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images
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A Pakistani baby boy, his eyes lined with kohl. Kohl and similar products are believed to help children’s eyes develop as well as protect them against curses, but they can also expose wearers to lead. Educating refugees about the health risks involved requires diplomacy and sensitivity. © 2012 Ameer Hamza/Getty Images
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Traditional clay dishes like this Mexican pot often use lead glaze, which gives pottery a smooth finish and makes colors pop. It can also leach lead into foods. © Brooke Slezak/Getty Images
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A Calcutta child working in a battery recycling shop. Shops like this are common in some developing countries—and a common source of lead exposure prior to emigration. © Philippe Lissac/Godong/Corbis
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Somali Bantu children in shirts provided by the U.S. Refugee Program, waiting for a bus en route to new homes in the United States. Many refugees arrive in the United States overwhelmed and concerned about day-to-day survival. Lead toxicity—especially if its effects aren’t outwardly apparent—can rank low on their list of concerns. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Similar products used in Asian and the Middle East are known as surma, kajal, and kohl
    1. Scientists have not identified a safe threshold for lead exposure. And young children—because their nervous systems are still developing—are especially vulnerable to lead’s neurotoxic effects, which include shortened attention spans, reduced IQ, and dyslexia, among others.
    1. CDC Infant lead poisoning associated with use of tiro, an eye cosmetic from Nigeria—Boston, Massachusetts, 2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(30):574–576. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6130a3.htm - PubMed
    1. CDC Blood lead levels in children aged 1–5 years—United States, 1999–2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2013;62(13):245–248. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6213a3.htm?s_cid=mm6213a3_w - PMC - PubMed
    1. DHS. Refugees [website]. Washington, DC:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (updated 11 Apr 2013). Available: http://goo.gl/UvgiA [accessed 20 May 2013].

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