Spatial Analysis and Lead-Risk Assessment of Philadelphia, USA

Federal Housing Assistance and Blood Lead Levels in a Nationally Representative US Sample Age 6 and Older: NHANES, 1999-2018

BACKGROUND

Federal housing assistance is an important policy tool to ensure housing security for low-income households. Less is known about its impact on residential environmental exposures, particularly lead.

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a quasi-experimental study to investigate the association between federal housing assistance and blood lead levels (BLLs) in a nationally representative US sample age 6 y and older eligible for housing assistance.

METHODS

We used the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) linked with US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administrative records to assess BLLs of NHANES participants with concurrent HUD housing assistance (i.e., current recipients, n = 3 , 0 71 ) and those receiving assistance within 2 y after the survey (i.e., pseudo-waitlist recipients, n = 1,235 ). We estimated BLL least squares geometric means (LSGMs), odds ratio (OR) for BLL ≥ 3.5 μ g / dL , and percent differences in LSGMs by HUD housing assistance status adjusting for age, sex, family income-to-poverty ratio, education, country of birth, race/ethnicity, region, and survey year. We also examined effect modification using interaction terms and stratified analyses by program type [i.e., public housing, multifamily, housing choice vouchers (HCV)], and race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

Current HUD recipients had a significantly lower LSGM [1.07 μ g / dL ; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.12] than pseudo-waitlist recipients (1.21   μ g / dL ; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.28), with an adjusted OR of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.42, 0.87) for BLL ≥ 3.5 μ g / dL . Some effect modification were observed: The protective association of HUD assistance on BLL was strongest among public housing (- 19.5 % LSGM; 95% CI: - 27.5 % , - 1 0 . 7 % ), multifamily (- 12.5 % LSGM; 95% CI: - 2 0 . 7 % , - 3.5 % ), and non-Hispanic White (- 2 0 . 6 % LSGM; 95% CI: - 29.8 % , - 1 0 . 3 % ) recipients. It was weaker to null among HCV (- 5.7 % LSGM; 95% CI: - 12.7 , 1.7%), non-Hispanic Black (- 1.6 % LSGM; 95% CI: - 8.1 % , 5.4%), and Mexican American (-12.5% LSGM; 95% CI: - 31.9 % , 12.5 % ) recipients.

DISCUSSION

Our research underscores the importance of social-structural determinants like federal housing assistance in providing affordable, stable, and healthy housing to very low-income households. More attention is needed to ensure housing quality and racial equity across HUD's three major housing assistance programs. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12645.

Integral trends in research of lead exposure and child health from 2012 to 2022: a bibliometric analysis

Lead poisoning in children is a non-negligible and ongoing threat to children's health and optimal development worldwide. There is no sufficient scientometric analysis available on this subject, though. Aiming to uncover the research development, hotspots, and possible future orientation, we performed a scientometric analysis of related publications from 2012 to 2022. Initial information was accessed using the "Analysis Results" and "Create Citation Report" sections of the Web of Science core collection database, which were utilized to find original publications in this field of research. Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software were applied to further analyze and visualize the data. The research addressed a range of topics, including yearly publications, highly cited articles, co-cited references, journals, authors, nations, organizations, and keywords. A total of 883 articles were retrieved. From 2018 to 2021, the annual publication output was abundant and peaked in 2019. Among 111 countries, the USA obtained the highest number of documents issued, total citations, and total link strength. Meanwhile, most of the top 15 institutions, including the top four, are located in the USA. Further, we spotted greater scopes with development potential, including enhancing records to lessen exposure to harmful risks, improving methods for observing lead sources, and elucidating the gradient link between lead poisoning symptoms and concentrations. We anticipate that our research will assist researchers in summarizing previous research and providing perspectives for workable prospective study topics.

Lead toxicity and potential therapeutic effect of plant-derived polyphenols

BACKGROUND

Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, lead is still used worldwide in several applications, especially in industry. Both environmental and industrial lead exposures remain a public health problem in many developing and rapidly industrializing countries. Plant polyphenols are pleiotropic in their function and have historically made a major contribution to pharmacotherapy.

PURPOSE

To summarize available pre-clinical and limited clinical evidence on plant polyphenols as potential antidotes against lead poisoning and discuss toxic mechanisms of lead.

METHOD

A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed publications was performed from core collections of electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Articles written in English-language from inception until December 2022 were selected.

RESULTS

In this review, we review key toxic mechanisms of lead and its pathological effects on the neurological, reproductive, renal, cardiovascular, hematological, and hepatic systems. We focus on plant polyphenols against lead toxicity and involved mechanisms. Finally, we address scientific gaps and challenges associated with translating these promising preclinical discoveries into effective clinical therapies.

CONCLUSION

While preclinical evidence suggests that plant polyphenols exhibit bioprotective effects against lead toxicity, scant and equivocal clinical data highlight a need for clinical trials with those polyphenols.

Complexities in attributing lead contamination to specific sources in an industrial area of Philadelphia, PA

Globally, lead (Pb) contamination is one of the top ten chemical exposure issues affecting public health. The identification of specific Pb sources provides valuable information to determine assignment of liability for site cleanup, improve sampling plans and develop remedial strategies. This paper examines Pb concentrations and Pb isotopic data from samples collected at and near the site of a Pb paint production facility with a long operating history. Although high soil Pb concentrations were found at the site, Pb concentrations in surrounding neighborhoods did not simply decline with distance from the site. We evaluated soil concentrations and isotopic mixing lines to explore potential sources of Pb pollution. Three-isotope plots showed overlap of site samples and the surrounding neighborhood, consistent with pollution from the facility affecting offsite soils. A major challenge in separation of potential sources, however, is that the isotopic signatures of other potential Pb sources fall within the range of the soil data. The long operational site history, soil disturbances, the presence of nearby smelters, and other local and remote sources affect identification of lead sources. This analysis demonstrates that source attribution can be confounded by incomplete site and material sourcing information. An integrated approach that includes in-depth site characterization and an evaluation of historical activities (e.g., Pb ores used over time, amounts of Pb emitted by all area smelters, land use changes, and soil disturbances) is important for determining source attribution. This analysis provides insight into future site investigations where soil lead contamination has resulted from a long industrial history in an urban setting.