Children's blood lead levels and distributions in China

To describe the status and distribution of Chinese children's blood lead levels (BLLs), we performed this systematic review. Searching through the Chinese Biomedical Disc (CBMDisc) and other search pathways dated from 1994 to Mar. 2004, we found several published papers regarding children's BLLs. 32/33 (see Chinese Version) of them were selected for further assessment according to the following main criteria: (1) BLLs were measured by graphite Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, (GFAAS) or Inductively Coupled Plasma-mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS); (2) Reporting of high quality guarantee and quality control as well as a standard substance usage was necessary; (3) No local lead pollution resources; (4) The Study population included children ranging from the ages of 0-14 and the sample sizes contained more than 100 individuals. The mean BLLs of Chinese children was 92.9(.)mu g/L (37.2 mu g/L similar to 254.2 mu g/L), in which 33.8% (9.6%similar to 80.5%) of the children's BLLs were higher than 100 mu g/L. The review also indicated that boys' BLLs were significantly higher than girls' (P < 0.001) and that the BLLs of children, aged 0-6, increased with age. Furthermore, analysis also showed that the mean BLLs of children living both in industrial districts and in urban areas were, significantly higher than those living in suburbs or the countryside. The results suggest that children's BLLs in China are higher than those in developed countries and that environmental lead pollution is one of the important potential risk factors for children in China.