Relationship Between Primary Language Spoken at Home and Blood Lead Levels in Children from Northeast Ohio, United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study

AbstractTo estimate the prevalence and incidence of blood lead levels (BLL)  ≥ 5 and ≥ 3.5 µg/dl and assess their association with primary language spoken at home in Northeast Ohio, U.S. children, a retrospective cohort study was conducted among 19,753 children aged <  6 years. Primary language spoken at home was used to define children from resettled refugee families (RRFs) and non-RRFs. The overall BLL ≥ 5 and ≥ 3.5 µg/dl prevalence were 3.22 and 6.10%, and incidence rates were 2.25 and 3.64 cases per 100 person-years, respectively. Compared to children from non-RRFs children from RRFs were 3.62-times [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.84, 7.13] as likely to have BLL ≥ 5 µg/dl prevalence, and 6.72-times [95% CI 2.60, 17.40] as likely to have BLL ≥ 5 µg/dl incidence during the follow-up period. The higher prevalence and in cidence of BLL acquired in the United States among children from RRFs warrant further research to identify specific environmental and sociocultural lead sources for these children.
Source: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research