Experts have found that the blood lead level in some 20 percent of the children in Beijing is above normal, due to the lead contained in indoor and outdoor environment and the food they take.
According to a study of the World Health Organization, blood lead level above 10 g/dl (microgramme per deciliter) is considered lead poison.
However, a test in a downtown district of Beijing shows the blood lead level in 16.8 percent of the children is above normal. The percentages are even higher in two counties in Beijing’s outskirts, being 80.4 percent and 64.9 percent respectively.
High blood lead level hinders the children’s physical and intellectual development, Tuesday’s Beijing Morning Post quoted a nutritionist as saying.
Excessive intake of lead will cause children to fall an average 14 points in the overall intelligence quotient, a professor from Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, high density of lead in the children’s blood prevents them from growing tall, he said.
According to the professor, children between one and 1.3 meters tall are most vulnerable to vehicle and industrial emissions.
Other indoor and outdoor pollutants, stationery and toys are also causes for lead poison among the children.
On the other hand, China’s threshold on lead contained in the children’s food is slightly higher than the 0.2 microgram international threshold, therefore exposing children to more harm.
Experts suggested that children in major industrial cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang, should get more calcium from their food. Milk, for example, is an essential diet to protect children from lead poison.
(Xinhua News Agency 09/18/2001)
