Narrative review of lead poisoning in humans caused by industrial activities and measures compatible with sustainable industrial activities in Republic of Zambia

Hokuto Nakata; Shouta M M Nakayama; John Yabe; Kaampwe Muzandu; Andrew Kataba; Atsuko Ikeda-Araki; Marie-Noel Brune Drisse; Lesley Jayne Onyon; Julia Gorman; Poudel Kritika; Hisanori Fukunaga; Yoshinori Ikenaka; Reiko Kishi; Mayumi Ishizuka

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157833

Narrative review of lead poisoning in humans caused by industrial activities and measures compatible with sustainable industrial activities in Republic of Zambia

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Dec 1:850:157833. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157833. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
² Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
³ The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia; University of Namibia, School of Veterinary Medicine, P/B. 13301, Windhoek, Namibia.
⁴ The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia.
⁵ Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and Prevention of Chemical Hazards, Japan. Electronic address: AAraki@cehs.hokudai.ac.jp.
⁶ Department of Environment, Climate and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁷ Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and Prevention of Chemical Hazards, Japan.
⁸ Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and Prevention of Chemical Hazards, Japan.
⁹ Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Development, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa; Translational Research Unit, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; One Health Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
¹⁰ Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan. Electronic address: ishizum@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp.

PMID: 35961390
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157833

Abstract

Lead (Pb) pollution and human exposure to Pb, is an important issue for the international community to address being associated with 0.90 million deaths from long-term effects. The Republic of Zambia is a typical mineral resource-rich country, with long-standing mining and smelting activities of metals including Pb in several parts of the country. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of previous papers that have assessed human exposure to Pb and related health effects in Zambia. Environmental remediation methods that should be applied locally, ways to reduce Pb exposure of the population, and issues that need to be addressed by various sectors are discussed. Environmental remediation methods using locally available and affordable materials are needed to ensure both sustainable industrial activities and pollution prevention. In the Zambian mining towns, including Kabwe, various research activities have been conducted, including environmental monitoring, human biomonitoring and health impact assessments. The town of Kabwe, which was one of Zambia's largest Pb mining area in the 20th century, continues to have formal and informal Pb-related industries and is known as one of the most polluted areas in the world. For example, despite the World Health Organization asserting that "For an individual with a blood Pb concentration ≥ 5 μg/dL, appropriate action should be taken to terminate exposure", there are reports of blood Pb levels in Kabwe children exceeding 100 μg/dL. While Pb pollution is a global issue, not many places have such continuous and comprehensive research has been conducted, and there is much to be learned from the knowledge accumulated in these areas. Because the high levels of Pb accumulation in humans and the adverse health effects were clarified, we consider that it is important to combine mining activities, which are a key industry, with measures to prevent environmental pollution.

Keywords: Health effect; Industry; Lead; Measures; Poisoning; Zambia.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Child
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Lead Poisoning* / epidemiology
Lead*
Mining
Zambia / epidemiology

Substances

Lead

Grants and funding

001/WHO_/World Health Organization/International