Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Mar 26;34(1):25-34.
doi: 10.1515/reveh-2018-0037.

Sources of lead exposure in various countries

Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi  1
Affiliations
Review

Sources of lead exposure in various countries

Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi. Rev Environ Health. .

Abstract

This review evaluates the sources of lead exposure worldwide. Studies from searches relating to sources of lead exposure in various countries within different regional zones were reviewed. Results indicated that in Nigeria, exposure sources include electronic waste, paint and batteries. In Mexico exposure sources include glazed ceramics, lead contaminated utensils and lead contaminated water, for India lead sources include cosmetics and traditional medicines. Sources of lead exposure in China include e-waste, traditional medicines and industrial emissions. In France, exposure sources included lead paint from older homes, imported ceramics and cosmetics and industrial emissions. Australia's exposure sources include paint, dust, imported toys and traditional medicines. Finally, in the United States exposure sources included paint, the industrial legacy of lead exposure and batteries. In high-income countries (HICs) the legacy of lead exposure keeps populations continuously exposed. In lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in addition to the legacy of lead exposure, lack of regulations or the inability to enforce regulations keeps populations exposed. In all, evidence suggests that lead exposure remains an issue of public health significance in both HIC and LMIC.

Keywords: environmental health; global health; lead exposure; lead toxicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Nriagu JO. Lead and lead poisoning in antiquity. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1983.
    1. Mielke HW, Laidlaw MA, Gonzales C. Lead (Pb) legacy from vehicle traffic in eight California urbanized areas: continuing influence of lead dust on children’s health. Sci Total Environ 2010;408:3965–75.
    1. Attina TM, Trasande L. Economic costs of childhood lead exposure in low-and middle-income countries. Environ Health Perspect 2013;121:1097–102.
    1. Obeng-Gyasi E, Armijos RX, Weigel MM, Filippelli GM, Sayegh MA. Cardiovascular-related outcomes in US adults exposed to lead. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15:759.
    1. Obeng-Gyasi E, Armijos RX, Margaret Weigel M, Filippelli G, Aaron Sayegh M. Hepatobiliary-related outcomes in US adults exposed to lead. Environments 2018;5:46.

LinkOut - more resources