ABSTRACT
A. Background: In Palestine, chronic exposure to lead has not been adequately addressed as a problem for children.
B. Methods: To assess the exposure of Palestinian schoolchildren, we surveyed blood lead levels in 3 schools in Nablus city and collected demographic and clinical data.
C. Findings: Blood samples were collected from 178 children (140 boys, 38 girls), age range 6–8 years. The overall mean blood lead level was 3.2 (SD 2.4) mg/dL, and 4.5% of children had levels above 10 mg/dL. Blood lead levels were significantly higher among children living in refugee camps near industrial/high traffic regions than among children living in residential areas of the city. Blood lead levels were positively correlated with family size (r = 0.15) and negatively correlated with household area (r = –0.18).
D. Interpretation: Blood lead levels among these Palestinian schoolchildren were higher than those of others countries where leaded gasoline has been banned and seemed to be higher in more economically deprived children.