UNB, Dhaka :
Presence of higher blood lead level (BLL) has been found in Bangladeshi pregnant women, said a recent icddr,b study done in collaboration with Stanford University, USA.
A third of pregnant women surveyed were found having elevated BLL greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter (DL) while 6 percent of them had more than 10 micrograms per DL. One sample was found at 29.1 micrograms per DL, which is 6 times greater than threshold noted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Findings published in Environmental Research analysed BLL among 430 pregnant women in Bangladesh, said icddr,b on Monday.
The study identified multiple possible sources of lead exposure from the environment and food sources, said Professor Stephen P. Luby, senior author of the study and professor of medicine at Stanford University.
“Compared to women with low blood lead levels, women with the highest blood lead levels were more likely to be exposed to consuming food from lead-soldered metal food containers (cans), consuming food from agricultural fields where herbicide and pesticides have been used and consuming ground rice,” said Sarker Masud Parvez, co-author of the study and research investigator at icddr,b.
Since women with higher BLL were more likely to have been exposed to possible lead sources in the environment, the researchers examined soil, 382 agrochemical samples including herbicides and pesticides and 127 ground and unground rice samples.
Of the food and agrochemical samples analysed, seven out of 17 turmeric powder samples had excess lead than the tolerable limit at 2.5 micrograms per gram, designated by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). One unpackaged and unbranded sample contained over 265 microgram/gram lead.
Presence of higher blood lead level (BLL) has been found in Bangladeshi pregnant women, said a recent icddr,b study done in collaboration with Stanford University, USA.
A third of pregnant women surveyed were found having elevated BLL greater than 5 micrograms per deciliter (DL) while 6 percent of them had more than 10 micrograms per DL. One sample was found at 29.1 micrograms per DL, which is 6 times greater than threshold noted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Findings published in Environmental Research analysed BLL among 430 pregnant women in Bangladesh, said icddr,b on Monday.
The study identified multiple possible sources of lead exposure from the environment and food sources, said Professor Stephen P. Luby, senior author of the study and professor of medicine at Stanford University.
“Compared to women with low blood lead levels, women with the highest blood lead levels were more likely to be exposed to consuming food from lead-soldered metal food containers (cans), consuming food from agricultural fields where herbicide and pesticides have been used and consuming ground rice,” said Sarker Masud Parvez, co-author of the study and research investigator at icddr,b.
Since women with higher BLL were more likely to have been exposed to possible lead sources in the environment, the researchers examined soil, 382 agrochemical samples including herbicides and pesticides and 127 ground and unground rice samples.
Of the food and agrochemical samples analysed, seven out of 17 turmeric powder samples had excess lead than the tolerable limit at 2.5 micrograms per gram, designated by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). One unpackaged and unbranded sample contained over 265 microgram/gram lead.
