41% of Georgian children have increased lead levels in blood, figures higher in regions
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, April 24
The first nationwide survey conducted by the state agencies with the help of UNICEF says that 41 percent of 1,578 children tested have elevated blood levels of lead.
Imereti, Samegrelo, Guria and Adjara regions in western Georgia are of particular concern, as lead levers are increased there in the 50 to 85 percent of children.
The government vows that it will take measures to unveil the sources of lead pollution, which cause severe nerve and kidney issues.
UNICEF Georgia says that there is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe for human beings. A measurement of 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) of whole venous blood is the reference level at or above which the World Health Organisation recommends initiating public health actions.
“16 percent of children have blood lead levels higher than or equal to 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), while 25 percent of children have blood lead levels between 5 - 10 ?g/dL,” reads the survey conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia (NCDC) and the National Statistics Office with the help of UNICEF and nine donor organizations.
The study was conducted between September and December 2018 as part of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), the largest household survey worldwide in which Georgia participated.
During the study, samples of venous blood were collected from 1,578 randomly selected children from 2-7 years of age across Georgia and were sent to the Italian National Institute of Health, one of the leading public health institutions in Europe, UNICEF Georgia reports.
UNICEF Georgia says that the results of the survey will help the Government of Georgia with evidence-based decision making and policy planning to improve the lives of vulnerable families and children and help achieve sustainable development goals.
A group of NGOs and specialists which teamed up in January 2019 released the results of a study on lead earlier in the month.
The group had taken samples from 268 everyday items from 17 families living in Tbilisi.
Families selected for the study showed to have raised levels of lead in their blood.
The study detected a high concentration of lead in construction materials, everyday items, toys and food.
The Georgian Health Ministry promises that they will create a programme to help children with high lead levels in their blood and will also provide a long-term plan to combat the problem.
“Environmentalists and doctors have been sent to the families for additional checks where the tests confirmed higher levels of lead in children,” Head of the National Decease Control Centre Amiran Gamkrelidze said.
Gamkrelidze stated that the 650 children with raised blood levels of lead would be rechecked and the state will cover the repeated test, as well as the treatment.
“The treatment mainly includes giving the medicines rich of calcium and iron, as they prevent the absorption of lead,” Gamkrelidze said.
He stated that the western countries faced the problem in the 1980s and it took about 20 years for them to decrease risks to a minimum.
The issue of lead was pushed forward when several foreign diplomats stated in 2017 that higher level of lead was found in their blood after they moved to Georgia.
