Saliza Mohd Elias

Relationship between blood lead concentration and nutritional status among Malay primary school children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify the relationship between blood lead concentration and nutritional status among primary school children in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 225 Malay students, 113 male and 112 female, aged 6.3 to 9.8 were selected through a stratified random sampling method. The random blood samples were collected and blood lead concentration was measured by a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The nutrient intake was determined by the 24-hour Dietary Recall method and Food Frequency Questionnaire. An anthropometric assessment was reported according to growth indices (z-scores of weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height). The mean blood lead concentration was low (3.4 ± 1.91 ug/dL) and was significantly different between gender. Only 14.7% of the respondents fulfilled the daily energy requirement. The protein and iron intakes were adequate for a majority of the children. However, 34.7% of the total children showed inadequate intake of calcium. The energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate intakes were significantly different by gender, that is, males had better intake than females. Majority of respondents had normal mean z-score of growth indices. Ten percent of the respondents were underweight, 2.8% wasted and 5.4% stunted. Multiple linear regression showed inverse significant relationships between blood lead concentration with childrens age (β= -0.647, p<0.001) and per capita income (β=-0.001, p=0.018). There were inverse significant relationships between blood lead concentration with childrens age (β=-0.877, p=0.001) and calcium intake (β= -0.011,p=0.014) and positive significant relationship with weight-for-height (β=0.326, p=0.041) among those with inadequate calcium intake. Among children with inadequate energy intake, childrens age (β= -0.621, p< 0.001), per capita income (β= -0.001,p=0.025) and protein intake (β= -0.019, p=0.027) were inversely and significantly related with blood lead concentration. In conclusion, nutritional status might affect the childrens absorption of lead and further investigation is required for confirmation. Asia Pac J Public Health 2007; 19(3): 29-37.

Heavy Metals (As, Cd, Cr and Pb) Concentration in Selected Freshwater Fishes and Health Risk Assessment Among Adults in Kluang, Johor

A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in two areas at Kluang, Johor to determine the heavy metals concentration in freshwater fish and health risk assessment among adults in the area. Kahang River is less polluted compared to Sembrong River. A total of 30 respondents from each area were randomly selected based on inclusion criteria. A set of pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic information, food frequency intake and health status of respondents. Three freshwater fish species from these rivers which were frequently consumed by locals were analysed for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) concentration using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The health risk of respondents was assessed through the calculation of HQ and LCR. Results showed that heavy metals concentration in freshwater fishes of polluted river (Sembrong River) were higher than the less polluted river (Kahang River).There was also a significant difference in the health risk of respondents of the two areas which indicated that respondents who consumed fishes from the polluted river may have higher risk of health problems associated with heavy metals exposure.