Browsing by Author "MAUREEN AUMA ONDAYO"

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    CHILD EXPOSURE TO LEAD IN THE VICINITIES OF INFORMAL USED LEAD-ACID BATTERY RECYCLING OPERATIONS IN SLUMS, KENYA
    (2016-11) MAUREEN AUMA ONDAYO
    Leadexposure frominformal used lead-acidbattery (ULAB) recyclingoperations is a seriousenvironmental healthconcern. Researchshows that youngchildrenliving inthe vicinitiesoftheseoperationshaveelevatedbloodleadlevelsandfatalitieshavealsobeen reported. FromJanuary2015 toAugust 2015, thestudy investigatedchildexposure to lead inthevicinitiesof informalULABrecyclingoperations inNairobi slums,Kenya. This was in consideration of activity patterns of children under seven years that influencedexposurelevelsthroughhousedustandsoil.Topsoil (N=232)andfloordust (N=322)sampleswerecollectedfromdwellingunits(N=120)andpreparatoryschools (N:44)andanalyzedusing inductivelycoupledplasma-optical emissionspectrometer (ICP-OES) at theMines aridGeological Department Laboratory in theMinistryof Mining,Nairobi.Fromthe lead levels insoil andhousedustobtained,childblood lead levelswere subsequently predictedusing the IntegratedExposureUptakeBiokinetic Model forLead inChildren(IEUBK),Windowsversion.Results indicatedhigh indoor andoutdoor lead contamination instudied areas. Lead loadings inall the floor dust samples (100%) fromDandota, Kariobangi andMukuruslums exceeded theUSEPA guidancevaluefor leadonfloorswitharangeof65.2-58,l94ug/ft2.Control floordust samples recorded lower lead loadingsas compared to thevalues recorded inDandora, Kariobangi andMukuruslums. 70.7%ofthesoil samplescollectedfromwastedumps, industrial sites, residential areas, playgrounds and preparatory schools in Dandora, Kariobangi andMukururecorded leadconcentrations that exceeded the respectiveUS EPAguidancevalues for lead insoils. Leadconcentration inall (100%of) thecontrol soil sampleswerebelowtherespectiveUSEPAguidancevalues. Fromthe IEUBKwin predictions,nearly99.9%ofchildren<7yearsoldlivingnear informalULABrecycling operations inDandora, Kariobangi andMukuru slums, were at riskof being lead poisonedwithpredictedbloodleadlevelsabovetheCDCreferencevalueforbloodlead. 99.9%ofexposedchildrenlivinginDandora,KariobangiandMukumslumsarelikelyto havebloodlead levelsabove20kg/dL, 19kg/dLand34kg/dLrespectively.Thestudy establishedthatDandora,Kariobangi andMukuruslums facevastenvironmentalhealth challenges,withmanychildrenat riskofleadpoisoningduetotherapidunprecedented growthof informalULABrecycling. Thesoil andhousedust results demonstrate the need for coordinatedefforts towards decreasing leademissions frominformal battery recycling inNairobi slumsand to remediateexisting soilsparticularlyaroundbattery workplaces and dumpsites. Childblood lead levels should be clinically tested and appropriateinterventionmeasurestaken.