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Lead is one of ten hazardous chemicals of public health concern and is used in more than 900 occupations, including the battery, smelting, and mining industries. Lead toxicity accounts for 1.5% (900,000) of deaths annually in the world. In Indonesia, reports of high Blood Lead Level (BLL) were associated with residency in Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) recycling sites. The present study aims to investigate the BLL and the evidence of lead toxicity of children living in an ULAB recycling site in Bogor Regency, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study involving 128 children aged 1–5 years was conducted in September-October 2019. The socio-economic factors, BLL, nutritional status, and hematological parameters, were evaluated. Data were analyzed by univariate and bivariate using the Chi-Square test. Socio-economic factors revealed only 2.3% children have pica and 10.9% children have hand-to-mouth habits. Majority of parents had low income, education, and have stayed in the village for years. Analysis on BLL revealed that 69.5% children had BLL of >10 μg/dL, 25% had abnormal BMI, 23.4% had underweight, 53.9% had stunting, 33.6% had anemia, and 22.6% had basophilic stippling. The average BLL and hemoglobin levels of respondents were 17.03 μg/dL and 11.48 g/dL, respectively. Bivariate analysis revealed that children with high BLL had double risk of having underweight and protected from stunting. Analysis on the association between BLL and BMI for age revealed a higher risk to have abnormal BMI. The high BLL also had 1.017 times risk of developing anemia, and almost doubled risk of having basophilic stippling, although they were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the high BLL of children living in the ULAB recycling indicates that lead exposure as well as lead toxicity are still occurring in Cinangka Village, and alerts to the need for a systematic action to mitigate the exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal Used Lead-Acid Battery (ULAB) activities impact air pollution from smoke, dust, and waste containing lead. This study aims to determine the effect of air lead concentration on Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) in children aged 7-13 years in the informally ULAB area in the city of Depok. This study uses secondary data from the 2014 Special Research on Environmental Pollution for Traditional Battery Processing conducted by the National Institute of Research and Development. Cross-sectional study design, the study population was children aged 7-13 years in selected ULAB areas, with a total sample of 94 people. Each respondent took a venous blood sample and measured it with a portable blood lead gauge. The concentration of lead in the air was measured using a High Volume Air Sampler and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Normality test on BLLs and lead variables in the air. Linear regression test to determine the relationship between lead variables in the air and BLLs. The respondents' average BLLs were 8.58 µg/dL, with intervals of 3.8 - 14.6 µg/dL. There was a strong relationship (r = 0.777) and statistically significant (p = 0.000) between air lead levels and BLLs. It has a lively pattern equation, meaning that if the lead level in the air increases, the BLLs will increase. Although BLL in children is still below World Health Organization (WHO) recommended, there needs to be measured to prevent children from being exposed to lead, because low BLLs for long periods can endanger children's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the relationship between the concentration of airborne lead exposure to anemia in children aged 7 to 13 living near the informal used lead-acid battery recycling area in Jabodetabek. A crosssectional study was conducted at four locations in Jabodetabek (Tangerang, Bogor, Bekasi and Depok), in which there were informal battery recycling. The study population was children aged 7 to 13 living in the area of informal used lead-acid battery recycling units. The number of children who were willing to participate was 418 children. The respondents were interviewed by using structured questionnaires. Environmental samples measured the airborne lead concentration using High Volume Air Sampler (HVAS) and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). To identify anemia, blood Hb measurements were taken using HemoCue® Hb 201+ System. The Logistic Regression risk factor model was used to determine the correlation of airborne lead with anemia in children. The results showed an average concentration of airborne lead (n = 52) was 2.96 μg/m3. The average blood Hb level of children (n = 418) was 11.89 g/ dL, with prevalence of anemia of 51.2%. High airborne lead concentration is strongly associated with an increased anemia incidence in children (OR: 3.96; 95% CI: 1.83-8.56) after behavioral factors of calcium intake was controlled (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.46-1.01). This study reveals the correlation between airborne lead exposures and anemia as well as underlines the needs to strengthen the policies, supervision, and development of strategies to reduce airborne lead exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]