IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 337: IEUBK Modeling of Children & rsquo;s Blood Lead Levels in Homes Served by Private Domestic Wells in three Illinois Counties

IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 337: IEUBK Modeling of Children’s Blood Lead Levels in Homes Served by Private Domestic Wells in three Illinois Counties International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph21030337 Authors: Sarah Keeley Samuel Dorevitch Walton Kelly David E. Jacobs Sarah D. Geiger Lead is known to impair neurocognitive development in children. Drinking water is routinely monitored for lead content in municipal systems, but private well owners are not required to test for lead. The lack of testing poses a risk of lead exposure and resulting health effects to rural children. In three Illinois counties, we conducted a cross-sectional study (n = 151 homes) examining water lead levels (WLLs), water consumption, and water treatment status to assess risk of lead exposure among residents using private water wells. Since blood lead levels (BLLs) were not available, EPA’s Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) modeling was used to estimate the incremental contribution of WLL to BLL, holding all other sources of lead at their default values. Nearly half (48.3%) of stagnant water samples contained measurable lead ranging from 0.79 to 76.2 µg/L (median= 0.537 µg/L). IEUBK modeling showed BLLs rose from 0.3 to 0.4 µg/dL when WLLs rose from 0.54 µg/L (the tenth percentile) to 4.88 µg/L (the 90th percentile). Based on IEUBK modeling, 18%...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research