Blood lead levels in children: fact sheet No. 4.5, May 2007

Overview

The phasing out of lead from petrol, first in western Europe and later in central and eastern Europe, has resulted in a significant decrease in blood lead levels in children during the last two decades. Industrial emissions are still important local sources of lead exposure in some countries. Since lead was phased out from petrol, other sources of exposure to lead that had previously been ignored have become increasingly significant. It is still necessary to reduce the levels of lead in the blood further because there is no known safe level in children. An efficient surveillance system, using comparable methods of blood sampling, analysis and data presentation to monitor lead levels in children’s blood, is urgently required for the identification and elimination of the remaining sources of exposure to lead and monitoring of the effectiveness of preventive action.