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      Lead-based paint on playground equipment in public children's parks in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni

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          Abstract

          OBJECTIVE: To determine the use of lead-based paint in public playgrounds in the municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. METHODS: Forty-nine public parks were selected from the municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. Lead levels in paint on playground equipment were measured in situ using a hand-held Thermo Scientific NITON XLP 700 Series X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser. RESULTS: Playground lead levels ranged from 'too low to detect' to 10.4 mg/cm². The mean and median lead concentrations were 1.9 mg/cm² and 0.9 mg/cm² respectively. Forty-eight per cent of lead paint measurements exceeded the internationally accepted reference level of 1 mg/cm². CONCLUSION: The study shows that lead-based paint is widely used in public playgrounds in the three study municipalities, and most likely throughout South Africa. We suggest key actions to ensure that children's playgrounds in South Africa are lead-free zones, and that childhood lead exposure in these settings is prevented.

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          Most cited references12

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          Environmental lead exposure: a public health problem of global dimensions

          Lead is the most abundant of the heavy metals in the Earth’s crust. It has been used since prehistoric times, and has become widely distributed and mobilized in the environment. Exposure to and uptake of this non-essential element have consequently increased. Both occupational and environmental exposures to lead remain a serious problem in many developing and industrializing countries, as well as in some developed countries. In most developed countries, however, introduction of lead into the human environment has decreased in recent years, largely due to public health campaigns and a decline in its commercial usage, particularly in petrol. Acute lead poisoning has become rare in such countries, but chronic exposure to low levels of the metal is still a public health issue, especially among some minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. In developing countries, awareness of the public health impact of exposure to lead is growing but relatively few of these countries have introduced policies and regulations for significantly combating the problem. This article reviews the nature and importance of environmental exposure to lead in developing and developed countries, outlining past actions, and indicating requirements for future policy responses and interventions.
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            A survey of blood lead levels among young Johannesburg school children.

            Studies conducted around the world have established beyond doubt that elevated childhood blood lead levels may lead to detrimental health effects. Research has shown that certain groups of South African children are at particular risk of elevated blood lead levels. Johannesburg is the largest urban complex in southern Africa, with a population of around 3 million and extensive industrial and manufacturing activity. Among the challenges posed in the city are rapid urbanization, extensive poverty, and inequity. Little information on the blood lead distribution of Johannesburg children is available. This study was undertaken to determine blood lead levels among children living in three areas of Johannesburg: inner city suburbs and the low-income townships of Alexandra and Westbury to the north and west of the city center, respectively. The results indicated that blood lead levels ranged from 6 to 26 micro g/dL, with a mean level of 11.9 micro g /dL. The blood lead levels of 78% of children equaled or exceeded 10 micro g/dL, the current international action level. Maternal educational status, the presence of smokers in the home, and living in an informal dwelling were among the factors associated with elevated blood lead levels.
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              Influence of paint chips on lead concentration in the soil of public playgrounds in Tokyo.

              Lead concentration in the surface soils from 31 playgrounds in a ward in Tokyo was measured to examine if paint chips, peeled off from playing equipment installed in the playgrounds, contribute to elevated Pb concentration in the soil of public playgrounds. Lead concentration in the paint chips sampled from playgrounds ranged from 0.003 to 8.9%. Lead concentration in the surface soil ranged from 15.2 to 237 mg kg(-1) (average, 55.5 mg kg(-1)) and higher Pb concentration was found in the soil near painted playing equipment indicating that paint chips from playing equipment contributed to increase soil Pb level of playgrounds in Tokyo. The degree of peeling-off of paint on the surface of playing equipment in the public playground (peeling-off index: POI) positively correlated with Pb concentration in the soil (Spearman rank-correlation coefficient, r = 0.366, p = 0.043). The stronger correlation between Pb concentration and isotope ratios (207Pb/206Pb and Pb conc., r = 0.536, p = 0.002, 208Pb/206Pb and Pb conc. r = 0.600, p < 0.001) than that between Pb and POI indicated that gasoline Pb contributed more to the playground-to-playground variation in soil Pb concentration. It was concluded that both gasoline Pb of the past and paint chips contributed to increased Pb concentration in the surface soil of playgrounds in Tokyo, though the contribution of paint chips is smaller than gasoline Pb.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Role: ND
                Journal
                samj
                SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
                SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j.
                Health and Medical Publishing Group (Cape Town )
                2078-5135
                November 2009
                : 99
                : 11
                : 819-821
                Affiliations
                [1 ] South African Medical Research Council South Africa
                [2 ] University of Witwatersrand South Africa
                [3 ] University of Johannesburg South Africa
                [4 ] City of Johannesburg
                [5 ] City of Tshwane
                [6 ] City of Ekurhuleni
                Article
                S0256-95742009001100025
                8c23fbd2-e7b7-4d7f-a0d9-0acb4a36cf3f

                http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

                History
                Product

                SciELO South Africa

                Self URI (journal page): http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0256-9574&lng=en
                Categories
                Health Care Sciences & Services
                Health Policy & Services
                Medical Ethics
                Medicine, General & Internal
                Medicine, Legal
                Medicine, Research & Experimental

                Social law,General medicine,Medicine,Internal medicine,Health & Social care,Public health

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