SYSTEMATIC REVIEW: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEAD EXPOSURE IN CHILDREN AND PARENTAL OCCUPATION
Keywords:
blood lead level, children, parental occupation.
Abstract
Lead is a toxic heavy metal and a common occupational and environmental toxin. Lead is used in more than 900 occupations. Lead exposure may produce serious consequences for the health of children. We do meta-analysis articles from PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct. We found 24 studies from 14 countries after selected from 1703 countries. Results showed that parental occupations that can increase lead levels include are e-waste worker, fishing net production, lead industry worker, construction, household bullet production, vehicle employee, mining worker, farmer, technician, repair work at home, smelting worker, metal seeker, plumber, battery/lead recycler, laundry-person, artisanal worker, scrap metal cookware production, and jewelry production.
References
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2. Mansyur M, Fitriani DY, Prayogo A, Mutiara A, Asep, Fadhillah R, et al. Determinant Factors of Children’s Blood Lead Levels in Java, Indonesia. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 2024 Aug 1;261:114426.
3. Rylander C, Anda EE, Cirtiu CM, Jankhoteli T, Dzotsenidze N, Ghetia V, et al. Blood Lead Levels in Children 5 to 7 Years of Age from the Republic of Georgia: A Feasibility Study on Lead Surveillance Using Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling. Environ Health Perspect. 2025 May;133(5):057003.
4. Senanayake J, Haji Rahman R, Safwat F, Riar S, Ampalloor G. Asymptomatic Lead Poisoning in a Pediatric Patient. Cureus. 2023 Feb;15(2):e34940.
5. Zardast M, Khorashadi-Zadeh SS, Nakhaee S, Amirabadizadeh A, Mehrpour O. Blood lead concentration and its associated factors in preschool children in eastern Iran: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2020 Dec;20(1):435.
6. Cai Q ling, Peng D jie, Lin-Zhao, Chen J wen, Yong-Li, Luo H lan, et al. Impact of Lead Exposure on Thyroid Status and IQ Performance among School-age Children Living Nearby a Lead-Zinc Mine in China. NeuroToxicology. 2021 Jan 1;82:177–85.
7. Wei Y fei, Gan C liu, Xu F, Fang Y yuan, Zhang B dan, Li W shu, et al. Clinical case analysis of 32 children aged 0–6 years with lead poisoning in Nanning, China. Toxicol Ind Health. 2024 Feb;40(1–2):41–51.
8. Yimthiang S, Waeyang D, Kuraeiad S. Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Related Risk Factors among Thai Children Residing in a Fishing Community. Toxics. 2019 Oct 12;7(4).
9. Irawati Y, Kusnoputranto H, Achmadi UF, Safrudin A, Sitorus A, Risandi R, et al. Blood lead levels and lead toxicity in children aged 1-5 years of Cinangka Village, Bogor Regency. PLoS One. 2022;17(2):e0264209.
10. Oliveri AN, Fagerstrom LA, Wang L, Rosenman KD. A County-Level Program for the Evaluation of the Potential for Take-Home Lead Exposures Among Children in Michigan. Public Health Rep. 2022 Nov;137(6):1153–61.
11. Heidari S, Mostafaei S, Razazian N, Rajati M, Saeedi A, Rajati F. The effect of lead exposure on IQ test scores in children under 12 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies. Syst Rev [Internet]. 2022 Dec [cited 2025 Jul 17];11(1). Available from: https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-01963-y
12. Goel AD, Chowgule RV. Outbreak investigation of lead neurotoxicity in children from artificial jewelry cottage industry. Environ Health Prev Med. 2019 May 10;24(1):30.
13. Zhang Y, Huo X, Lu X, Zeng Z, Faas MM, Xu X. Exposure to multiple heavy metals associate with aberrant immune homeostasis and inflammatory activation in preschool children. Chemosphere. 2020 Oct 1;257:127257.
14. Zhang XY, Carpenter DO, Song YJ, Chen P, Qin Y, Wei NY, et al. Application of the Ieubk Model for Linking Children’s Blood Lead with Environmental Exposure in a Mining Site, South China. Environmental Pollution. 2017 Dec 1;231:971–8.
15. Zhang S, Mao B, Xu F, Zhou C, Liu W. L-shaped relationship of Vitamin D and blood lead levels among preschool children age 3–6: A cross-sectional study. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 2025 Jan 1;31:101864.
16. Rossides M, Mogensen H, Kampitsi CE, Talbäck M, Wiebert P, Tettamanti G, et al. Parental occupational exposure to metals and risk of cancer in the offspring: A register-based case-control study from Sweden. Eur J Cancer. 2023 Sep;191:113243.
17. Nyanza EC, Bernier FP, Martin JW, Manyama M, Hatfield J, Dewey D. Effects of prenatal exposure and co-exposure to metallic or metalloid elements on early infant neurodevelopmental outcomes in areas with small-scale gold mining activities in Northern Tanzania. Environment International. 2021 Apr 1;149:106104.
18. Li MM, Jiao XT, Zhang J, Gao ZY, Cao J, Liu JX, et al. Prevalence and risk factors of elevated blood lead levels in 0-6-year-old children: a national cross-sectional study in China. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1546842.
19. Kordas K, Burganowski R, Roy A, Peregalli F, Baccino V, Barcia E, et al. Nutritional status and diet as predictors of children’s lead concentrations in blood and urine. Environment International. 2018 Feb 1;111:43–51.
20. Hore P, Ahmed MS, Sedlar S, Saper RB, Nagin D, Clark N. Blood Lead Levels and Potential Risk Factors for Lead Exposures Among South Asians in New York City. J Immigr Minor Health. 2017 Dec;19(6):1322–9.
21. Chowdhury KIA, Nurunnahar S, Kabir ML, Islam MT, Baker M, Islam MS, et al. Child lead exposure near abandoned lead acid battery recycling sites in a residential community in Bangladesh: Risk factors and the impact of soil remediation on blood lead levels. Environmental Research. 2021 Mar;194:110689.
22. Champion WM, Buerck AM, Nenninger C, Yusuf K, Barrett LJP, Rakotoarisoa L, et al. Childhood blood lead levels and environmental risk factors in Madagascar. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Sep;29(45):68652–65.
23. Chagonda S, Chitungo IJB, Musarurwa C, Nyamayaro T. Blood lead levels in children residing in a 115-year old urban settlement in Harare, Zimbabwe: a cross sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2023 Feb 10;23(1):72.
24. Carsi Kuhangana T, Cheyns K, Muta Musambo T, Banza Lubaba Nkulu C, Smolders E, Hoet P, et al. Cottage industry as a source of high exposure to lead: A biomonitoring study among people involved in manufacturing cookware from scrap metal. Environmental Research. 2024 Jun 1;250:118493.
25. Ansari JA, Mahdi AA, Malik PS, Jafar T. Blood Lead Levels in Children Living Near an Informal Lead Battery Recycling Workshop in Patna, Bihar. Journal of Health and Pollution. 2020 Mar;10(25):200308.
26. Afandi A, Suhartono S, Budiyono B, Margawati A, Kartini A. High Blood Lead Levels as A Risk Factor of Stunting: A Study of Children in Agricultural Areas. JKL. 2025 Jan 31;17(1):45–53.
