American Journal of Public Health
Volume 101, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 48-54

Blood lead levels of refugee children resettled in Massachusetts, 2000 to 2007 (Article)

Eisenberg K.W. , Van Wijngaarden E. , Fisher S.G. , Korfmacher K.S. , Campbell J.R. , Fernandez I.D. , Cochran J. , Geltman P.L.
  • a Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States
  • b Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States
  • c Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States
  • d Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, United States
  • e Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, United States
  • f Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States
  • g Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Jamaica Plain, MA, United States
  • h Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Jamaica Plain, MA, United States, Department of Pediatrics, Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Objectives: We described elevated blood lead level (BLL; ≥10 μg/dL) prevalence among newly arrived refugee children in Massachusetts. We also investigated the incidence of BLL increases and BLLs newly elevated to 20 μg/dL or higher in the year following initial testing, along with associated factors. Methods: We merged data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Refugee and Immigrant Health Program and the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program on 1148 refugee children younger than 7 years who arrived in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2007. Results: Elevated BLL prevalence was 16% among newly arrived refugee children. The rate ratio for BLL elevation to 20 lg/dL or higher after arrival was 12.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]=6.2, 24.5) compared with children in communities the state defines as high-risk for childhood lead exposure. Residence in a census tract with older housing (median year built before 1950) was associated with a higher rate of BLL increases after resettlement (hazard ratio=1.7; 95% CI=1.2, 2.3). Conclusions: Refugee children are at high risk of lead exposure before and after resettlement in Massachusetts. A national surveillance system of refugee children's BLLs following resettlement would allow more in-depth analysis.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

proportional hazards model Africa south of the Sahara refugee Proportional Hazards Models Massachusetts risk Population Surveillance human Refugees Lead Poisoning statistics housing ethnology United States Humans male lead preschool child female Infant Child, Preschool environmental exposure Multivariate Analysis prevalence Article blood Child health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-78650901485&doi=10.2105%2fAJPH.2009.184408&partnerID=40&md5=95071f02b32bbf9b8646e04b153f14e4
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.184408
ISSN: 00900036
Cited by: 17
Original Language: English