Niveles de plomo sanguíneo en recién nacidos de la Oroya, 2004-2005

Godofredo Pebe; Hugo Villa; Luis Escate; Gonzalo Cervantes

doi:10.17843/rpmesp.2008.254.1297

Authors

Godofredo Pebe Hospital “Alberto Hurtado Abadía”, EsSalud. La Oroya, Perú. Médico pediatra.
Hugo Villa Hospital “Alberto Hurtado Abadía”, EsSalud. La Oroya, Perú. Médico neurólogo.
Luis Escate Hospital Nacional “Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen”, EsSalud. Lima, Perú. Médico pediatra.
Gonzalo Cervantes Hospital “Alberto Hurtado Abadía”, EsSalud. La Oroya, Perú. Médico pediatra

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2008.254.1297

Keywords:

Environmental pollution, Lead poisoning, Environmental health, Peru

Abstract

Objective. To determine blood lead levels in newborns less than 12-hours of life, in La Oroya. Material and methods. A descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study performed between June 2004 to June 2005 in a sample consisting in newborns in La Oroya. A questionnaire was administered to pregnant women and lead levels were determined in a sample of venous blood (2 mL) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with an air-acetylene flame. Values are expressed ad micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (ug/dL). Results. 93 newborns were assessed, average blood lead contents was 8.84 μg/dL (SD: 0.57). 70 newborns (75.3%) had blood lead levels between 6 and 10 μg/dL, and 23 (24.7%) had more than 10 μg/dL. Newborns from mothers living in La Oroya Nueva (the new city) have blood lead levels lower than those from mothers living in La Oroya Vieja (the old city) (p= 0.002). Conclusions. Newborns in La Oroya have high blood lead levels, so it is necessary to initiate prevention programs in pregnant women in order to prevent deleterious health outcomes in newborns.