AIHA Releases Lead Poisoning Prevention Guidelines for Developing Countries
The organization releases a set of recommendations to protect children from lead poisoning in developing countries
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has issued a set of recommendations for preventing lead poisoning in children in developing countries, according to a press release from the association. AIHA created the guidelines based on a case study of lead contamination conditions in several countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. According to AIHA, the recommendations come in the form of a reference document that identifies methods that can be taken to promote safe and healthy communities and “improve understanding among international experts in environmental and public health programs involving lead poisoning in children.”
Exposures to lead in the environment during childhood in developing countries have been underestimated – in the regions studied in the case studies, mean blood levels for children exceeded 20 micrograms of lead per deciliter and even 100 in some areas.
“Childhood lead poisoning is a serious problem that in the last few decades has significantly changed its geographical focus,” said Andrey Korchevskiy, PhD, director of research and development at Chemical and Industrial Hygiene, Inc., in AIHA’s press release. “In developed countries, the situation has been managed successfully, but in the developing world, it has worsened, with the size of contaminated territories and the number of affected children increasing. This document is one of the first attempts to provide perspectives on international lead hazard recognition, exposure evaluation, prevention, and treatment.”