Effectiveness of Cleaning and Health Education in Reducing Childhood Lead Poisoning Among Children Residing Near Superfund Sites in Missouri

David A. Sterling, Gregory Evans, Brooke N. Shadel, Fernando Serrano, Brenda Arndt, John J. Chen, Lori Harris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study, the authors evaluated whether a combination of tailored education, lead dust removal by trained cleaning specialists, and family follow-up visits would be more effective than conventional health educational programs in reducing elevated blood lead levels in children living in or near lead mining hazardous waste sites. The authors randomized children between 6 and 72 mo of age with blood lead levels between 10 and 20 μg/dl into 3 groups: standard care, tailored newsletters, or tailored newsletters and specialized cleaning. The authors obtained questionnaires, blood lead levels, and environmental lead samples during initiation and compared them with the same items obtained at 3, 6, and 9 mo follow-up. They used a linear mixed effect model to evaluate the intervention effect. Blood lead levels decreased overall 1.54 μg/dl (12.1%) during the study. The authors found that tailored newsletters and specialized cleaning produced the greatest decline in blood lead levels, but no statistical differences were found among the methodologies. The small decline observed in blood lead levels reduced levels to below 10 mUg/dl for 40% of the children.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalArchives of Environment Health: An International Journal
Volume59
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004

Keywords

  • Childhood
  • Children
  • Cleaning
  • Effectiveness
  • Health education
  • Lead poisoning
  • Missouri
  • Superfund sites

DC Disciplines

  • Public Health

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