Refugee children who settle in the U.S. are known to have a higher risk of elevated blood lead levels than U.S.-born children, but the prevalence and risk factors overseas have not been documented.
In a new study, “Lead Poisoning in United States-Bound Refugee Children: Thailand-Burma Border, 2009,” in the February 2012 Pediatrics (published online Jan. 16), researchers tested blood lead levels from children aged 6 months to 14 years from refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border.
Of 642 children, 33 (5.1 percent) had elevated blood lead levels, with the highest prevalence (14.5 percent) in children younger than 2 years. Risk factors included anemia, exposure to car batteries and taking traditional medicines. Among children <6 years old, the prevalence of elevated blood levels in these refugee children was seven times higher than U.S. children. Elevated blood lead levels can cause long-term harm to a child’s development.
Authors conclude that measures should be taken to protect Burmese and other refugee children from exposure to lead, in camps and after resettlement in the U.S.
