Sharp drop in lead levels in blood

The lead levels in the blood of pregnant women and newborns in Malta fell by 45.6 per cent in the 11-year period between 1985 and 1996, following the introduction of several measures.

While regulations were introduced to control the importation of red lead paint and to prohibit the use of lead-treated wood as fuel in bakeries, the marketing and distribution of leaded petrol was also banned in January 2003.

New research, carried out by the World Health Organisation and Italy's University of Udine, has concluded that lead is affecting children's brains in parts of Europe and putting their development at risk.

The early findings, released last week during an intergovernmental meeting, point to lead as the single most important chemical toxicant for children.

The children's special vulnerability is related to their exposure through hand-mouth activity and ingestion of paint chips, coupled with their absorption - the fraction of absorption in children is 40 per cent compared with 10 per cent in adults.

Children, who are especially susceptible to lead during their development years, may also be exposed to water contaminated by lead pipes, old paint, factory emissions, contaminated soil and food contaminated by environmental sources, such as improperly glazed ceramic ware for cooking and food storage.

Lead particles can move with water, soil, dust and wind and can get into the body through inhalation, ingestion and dermal penetration.

More than 30,000 high-volume chemicals are produced and dispersed in the environment in the industrialised countries of the WHO European region.

Health Minister Louis Deguara said the government acknowledged the strong link between health and environment and children's susceptibility.

The meeting delved into the numerous chemicals that posed a risk to children's health, including benzene, a product of petrol combustion.

Conscious of the vulnerability of children's health to the effects of air pollutants, the Department of Public Health had set up a programme of indoor air quality monitoring in eight primary schools between April, 2001 and March, 2002.

Average benzene concentrations inside the classrooms were, in most cases, lower than those measured outdoors at near-road sites during the previous year.

A similar monitoring programme has also been commissioned - this time in 16 primary schools - over the 12-month period between January, 2003 and last January. The results are expected to be released later this year.