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Environmental and Household Sources Associated with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Mexican Women of Childbearing Age: A Community-Based Screening Study

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Overview

Betanzos-Robledo and colleagues conducted a community-based screening in a Mexico City neighborhood and found that 31% of women of childbearing age had blood lead levels at or above the CDC reference value of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter. Use of lead-glazed ceramics (LGC) for cooking and food storage accounted for the largest share (47.46%) of model-explained variance for elevated blood lead, followed by home remodeling (31.78%) and proximity to a highway (20.76%). This source is not a product concentration study but provides exposure-pathway evidence establishing that glazed ceramic bowls, plates, and vessels used for cooking and serving food are a primary lead exposure source for women of childbearing age and, by extension, for the infants and children in those households. This is an exposure source study, not a measurement of metal content in child feeding accessories.

Key numbers

Prevalence of elevated blood lead level (greater than or equal to 3.5 micrograms/dL): 31% (n=49/158) (p. 3-4).

Multivariable logistic regression odds ratios for elevated blood lead level (p. 5):

  • Past and current lead-glazed ceramic use: OR 9.43 (95% CI: 1.85, 48.15)
  • Living in or regularly visiting a recently remodeled home: OR 3.21 (95% CI: 1.45, 7.11)
  • Living near a highway: OR 2.41 (95% CI: 1.07, 5.48)

Shapley decomposition of model variance (p. 5):

  • Lead-glazed ceramic use: 47.46%
  • Home remodeling: 31.78%
  • Highway proximity: 20.76%

Exposure prevalence among women with elevated BLL versus women with low BLL (p. 5):

  • LGC use: 73% vs. 44% (p=0.004)
  • Home remodeling: 45% vs. 20% (p=0.002)
  • Highway proximity: 78% vs. 58% (p=0.020)

Blood lead measurement method: LeadCare II capillary system (detection range 3.3 to 65 micrograms/dL); sub-sample (n=47) verified by ICP-MS (Agilent 7800). LOD 3.3 micrograms/dL (device), LOQ not reported separately. CRM not stated.

Regulatory benchmarks: Mexico NOM-231-SSA1-2016 (maximum permissible lead (Pb) limits for food contact ceramics); CDC reference value 3.5 micrograms/dL (2021); Mexico NOM-199-SSA1-2000 action level 10 micrograms/dL (not updated with CDC revision).

Methods (brief)

Community-based cross-sectional screening. Blood lead measured by capillary finger-stick with LeadCare II; a 47-person sub-sample confirmed by ICP-MS. Structured 15-item questionnaire covered LGC use, home remodeling, occupational exposure, and proximity to pollution sources. Elevated BLL defined as greater than or equal to 3.5 micrograms/dL (CDC 2021 reference value). Multivariable logistic regression with Shapley decomposition for variance attribution. Chromium speciation, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and other metals not measured. This is a human biomonitoring study, not a food contact material leaching study.

Implications

Certification: This source provides exposure-pathway evidence that glazed ceramic vessels used in household cooking and food service are the dominant single source of elevated blood lead in women of childbearing age in this Mexico City community. This establishes LGC as a high-priority exposure source for infants and children fed in those households. It does not provide product concentration data for a specific certified category.

Courses: The Shapley decomposition (47% ceramics, 32% remodeling, 21% highway) is a concrete illustration of the multi-source nature of lead exposure. The 9.4-fold odds ratio for ceramic use is a teaching-ready summary statistic.

App: Does not provide contamination_profile values. Supports a contextual signal for lead risk from glazed ceramic food service vessels.

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