{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T22:27:39Z","timestamp":1776724059249,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,13]],"date-time":"2021-02-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1613174400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: To determine blood lead levels (BLL) in a healthy paediatric population and to analyse related sociodemographic, dietary and haematological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was made of 1427 healthy subjects aged 1\u201316 years from the city of Almer\u00eda (south-eastern Spain). BLL, iron parameters and erythropoietin were determined, and sociodemographic and dietary data obtained. The study paramateters was analyses in BLL toxic and BLL no toxic group by multiple logistic regression. Results: The mean BLL was 1.98 \u00b1 1.1 \u00b5g\/dL (95% CI:1.91\u20132.04). For 5.7% of the population, mean BLL was 2\u20135 \u00b5g\/dL, for 2.1% it was &gt;5 \u00b5g\/dL and for 0.15% it was &gt;10 \u00b5g\/dL. Multivariate analysis showed that immigrant origin (OR:11.9; p &lt; 0.0001), low level of parental education (OR:4.6; p &lt; 0.02) and low dietary iron bioavailability (OR: 3.2; p &lt; 0.02) were all risk factors for toxic BLL. Subjects with toxic and non-toxic BLL presented similar iron and erythropoiesis-related parameters, except erythrocyte protoporphyrin, which was significantly higher in the BLL &gt;5 \u00b5g\/dL group. Conclusions: BLL and the prevalence of toxic BLL in healthy subjects aged 1\u201316 years living in south-eastern Spain are low and similar to those found in other developed countries. The factors associated with toxic BLL are immigrant origin, low level of parental education and dietary iron deficiency. The toxicity of BLL was not related to changes in the analytical parameters studied.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18041825","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,14]],"date-time":"2021-02-14T02:08:12Z","timestamp":1613268492000},"page":"1825","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Blood Lead Level in a Paediatric Population of South-Eastern Spain and Associated Risk Factors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Luc\u00eda","family":"Ruiz-Tudela","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Rafael M\u00e9ndez University Hospital, 30813 Lorca, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5080-5825","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Angeles","family":"V\u00e1zquez-L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Torrec\u00e1rdenas University Hospital, 04009 Almer\u00eda, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iciar","family":"Garc\u00eda-Escobar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Torrec\u00e1rdenas University Hospital, 04009 Almer\u00eda, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6269-9692","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jose Eugenio","family":"Cabrera-Sevilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Santa Lucia University Hospital, 30202 Cartegena, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"G\u00f3mez-Bueno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Torrec\u00e1rdenas University Hospital, 04009 Almer\u00eda, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Mart\u00edn-Gonzalez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament of Pediatric, Torrec\u00e1rdenas University Hospital, 04009 Almer\u00eda, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francisco Javier","family":"Mu\u00f1oz-Vico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento of Clinic Analysis, Torrecardenas University Hospital, 04009 Almeria, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"693","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuro.2006.06.008","article-title":"A rationale for lowering the blood lead action level from 10 to 2 microg\/dL","volume":"27","author":"Gilbert","year":"2006","journal-title":"Neurotoxicology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuro.2019.02.021","article-title":"Neurotoxicity of low-level lead exposure: History, mechanisms of action, and behavioral effects in humans and preclinical models","volume":"73","author":"Rocha","year":"2019","journal-title":"Neurotoxicology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.1097\/MOP.0b013e3282f4f97b","article-title":"Very low lead exposures and children\u2019s neurodevelopment","volume":"20","author":"Bellinger","year":"2008","journal-title":"Curr. 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