Grading Lead in Schools

In this month's issue, investigators Charles V. Shorten and Marijane K. Hooven of West Chester University in Pennsylvania report on a method that may give a more realistic measure of the exposure of preschool children to lead-contaminated dust [EHP 108:663-666]. Shorten and Hooven set out to assess the relationship between 168 preschool children attending Philadelphia Head Start programs and various methods used to determine their exposure to lead in their classrooms. The scientists chose these young children because they are most susceptible to the deleterious effects of lead poisoning; in addition, their hand-to-mouth activities can lead to ingestion of lead-contaminated dust, and they spend up to eight hours per day in the classrooms. Ten classrooms in five buildings, each with a confirmed presence of lead-based paint, were included in the assessment. The scientists sought to determine whether the children were at significant risk of lead exposure by their presence in rooms likely to contain lead-contaminated dust.