Protocol development and feasibility study for the Elevated Childhood Lead Interagency Prevalence Study (ECLIPS).
Lead Research Organisation:
Northumbria University
Department Name: Fac of Engineering and Environment
Abstract
Background: Lead is toxic even in small amounts. It is common in our environment due to past use in paint, petrol and plumbing, contaminating our air, water, soil, dust and food. Children are more at risk from the effects of lead because of their growing and developing brains. Lead can reduce intelligence and attention span, increase antisocial behaviour, and lower educational achievement. It can also lead to many other health issues at all ages.
Lead pollution is a global problem. In the UK alone, lead exposure is thought to cost about £6.8 billion per year and could affect thousands of children. Doctors can order laboratory tests for children they suspect have high blood lead, but this system likely misses children with no obvious symptoms. We need to understand the current levels of lead exposure in UK children to guide our public and environmental health policies and reduce the societal burden of lead exposure.
Vision: We want to see an effective national childhood lead screening programme. To do this, we need to develop and test new screening methods. We want to make home blood sample collection easy, quick and stress-free. Lead exposure is preventable. Widespread monitoring of the amount of lead in blood will help to develop policies that reduce children's contact with lead in the community and at home. This will enable children to develop to their full potential.
Aims and objectives: To develop and trial (in Leeds) a new method for a national screening study for monitoring the amount of lead in children's blood.
Approach: Developing our methods includes testing a new, simple to use device for collecting a few drops of blood from a finger-prick at home and posting to the laboratory for analysis. We'll use questionnaires to ask about the child, the parents or caregivers, their lifestyle and their environment. We'll also ask families to provide samples of house dust, backyard or garden soil for lead testing. We will learn about what would put people off taking part and local sources of lead. All families will receive their results, a thank you voucher, and we'll randomly choose some families to receive a 'goodie bag' for their child to see if it encourages participation.
To develop a successful child lead screening study and raise awareness of everyday exposures to lead requires a range of experts working together. We will design the methods and develop the study information with the help of a community group and with children's nurses and doctors. We will work with these groups to improve our study methods before and during the testing stage.
Applications and benefits: This study will revolutionise the monitoring of lead in children's blood. It will pave the way for a national screening study and will help the development of lead surveys and prevention programmes in other countries too. The methods developed could also be used for other pollutants and diseases that are diagnosed by a blood sample, so could reduce the need for stressful needle blood sampling and hospital visits.
Lead pollution is a global problem. In the UK alone, lead exposure is thought to cost about £6.8 billion per year and could affect thousands of children. Doctors can order laboratory tests for children they suspect have high blood lead, but this system likely misses children with no obvious symptoms. We need to understand the current levels of lead exposure in UK children to guide our public and environmental health policies and reduce the societal burden of lead exposure.
Vision: We want to see an effective national childhood lead screening programme. To do this, we need to develop and test new screening methods. We want to make home blood sample collection easy, quick and stress-free. Lead exposure is preventable. Widespread monitoring of the amount of lead in blood will help to develop policies that reduce children's contact with lead in the community and at home. This will enable children to develop to their full potential.
Aims and objectives: To develop and trial (in Leeds) a new method for a national screening study for monitoring the amount of lead in children's blood.
Approach: Developing our methods includes testing a new, simple to use device for collecting a few drops of blood from a finger-prick at home and posting to the laboratory for analysis. We'll use questionnaires to ask about the child, the parents or caregivers, their lifestyle and their environment. We'll also ask families to provide samples of house dust, backyard or garden soil for lead testing. We will learn about what would put people off taking part and local sources of lead. All families will receive their results, a thank you voucher, and we'll randomly choose some families to receive a 'goodie bag' for their child to see if it encourages participation.
To develop a successful child lead screening study and raise awareness of everyday exposures to lead requires a range of experts working together. We will design the methods and develop the study information with the help of a community group and with children's nurses and doctors. We will work with these groups to improve our study methods before and during the testing stage.
Applications and benefits: This study will revolutionise the monitoring of lead in children's blood. It will pave the way for a national screening study and will help the development of lead surveys and prevention programmes in other countries too. The methods developed could also be used for other pollutants and diseases that are diagnosed by a blood sample, so could reduce the need for stressful needle blood sampling and hospital visits.
