Blood lead levels of urban and rural Malaysian primary school children

The objective of this article is to study the influence of exposure and socio-economic variables on the blood lead level of Malaysian school children. Data on respirable lead and blood lead of 346 school children were obtained from Kuala Lumpur (urban), Kemaman (semi-urban) and Setiu (rural). Respirable lead and blood lead were highest for Kuala Lumpur (95 ng/m3 and 5.26 μg/dL) followed by Kemaman (27 ng/m3 and 2.81μg/dL) and Setiu (15 ng/m3 and 2.49 μg/dL), and the differences were statistically significant. The percentage of school children with excessive blood lead of 10 μg/dL or greater was 6.36 % overall, and highest for Kuala Lumpur (11.73 %). Regression analyses show that urban children are at higher risk of exhibiting excessive blood lead levels. Kuala Lumpur's school children have a 25 times greater risk of having excessive blood lead levels when compared to Kemaman's and Setiu's school children. Respirable and blood lead were correlated (r=0.999, p=0.021). Urban school children acquire higher blood lead levels than their rural and semi-urban counterparts, even after controlling for age, sex, parents' education and income levels. In conclusion, it is time that lead in the Malaysian environment and population be monitored closely, especially its temporal and spatial variability. Only then can a comprehensive preventive strategy be implemented

A Look at the Industrial Production of Olefins Based on Naphtha Feed: A Process Study of a Petrochemical Unit

Olefins (ethylene, propylene and butadiene) as raw materials play an important role in a lot of chemical and polymer products. In industrial scale, there are several techniques from crude oil, natural gas, coal and methanol for the olefins production. Each of these has some advantages. The petrochemicals with liquid feed can simultaneously produce all of the olefins. Shazand Petrochemical Co. (as the first olefins production unit in Iran) produces all of the olefins using naphtha (light and heavy) feed. In this chapter, the production process of olefins based on naphtha will be studied from the beginning to the end (involving pyrolysis, compression, chilling and fractionation processes)

Blood lead concentrations and the Neuropsychology scores of pregnant women in Klang Valley Malaysia

Pregnant women with high blood lead posed high risk to their fetus as placental transfer can occurs to the fetus. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between blood lead and the neuropsychological score of women who were in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy. These respondents were undergoing a routine antenatal checkup at a teaching hospital located in Klang Valley areas. Blood lead concentrations were analyzed using graphite furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The neuropsychological scores were measured with WHO Neurobehavioral Core Test battery (NCTB). The test consists of 7 items, which made up of the Digit Symbol, Trail Making, Digit Span, Benton Visual Retention Test, Pursuit Aiming, Santa Ana Manual Dexterity, Reaction Time and Movement Time tests. The mean blood lead was 7.78±4.77 µg/dL. The mean score for the total NCTB test was 50.00±5.24. Statistical analysis showed blood lead concentrations were inversely correlated with the total NCTB score (r= –0.462, p≤0.01). The correlation was about 21.3%. The General Linear Model (GLM) showed that age (β= –0.15, p=0.017), weight (β=2.67, p=0.05) and height (β=–1.97, p=0.05) also influence the total neuropsychological scores. In conclusion, blood lead reduces the total neuropsychological scores. The scores for each of the 7 items were inversely and significantly correlated with blood lead concentrations except for the Trail Making and Santa Ana Manual Dexterity tests

Low blood lead concentrations and cognitive development of primary school children from three areas in Malaysia.

A study on to identify the relationship between blood lead and cognitive development was conducted on primary school children in Malaysia. About 413 children aged 6½ - 8½ years from urban (236), rural (80) and industrial areas (97) were studied. Blood lead was analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS). Cognitive development was measured by the ‘McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities Test’ (MSCA). Significant differences found in the mean cognitive scores between the urban (94.40), industrial (102.90) and suburban children (101.24) (p ≤ 0.001), with the blood lead between the urban (3.66 μg/dL), industrial (3.54 μg/dL) and suburban children (3.04 μg/dL) (p = 0.022). Significant inverse correlations between blood lead and cognitive scores found for all groups (p ≤ 0.001), urban (p ≤ 0.001) and suburban children (p < 0.001). Low blood lead significantly influenced the cognitive development for all children after adjusting for confounders (p ≤ 0.001). The urban children’s cognitive scores were significantly influenced by blood lead levels and household income (p ≤ 0.001). However, for the suburban children, the cognitive score were significantly influenced by the blood lead levels, the mothers’ education, number of siblings, sequence in the family and the household income (p < 0.001). Blood lead below 10 μg/dL influenced the cognitive development. Urban children had higher blood lead but suburban children with lower blood lead were also vulnerable to the effect of lead on their cognitive development

Pengaruh plumbum darah terhadap tahap perkembangan cerdik pandai (IQ) kanak-kanak di Malaysia

The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between blood lead concentration and the intelligent quotient (IQ) of primary school children in Kuala Lumpur and Terengganu, Malaysia. The study respondents were 212 Malay children aged between 61/2 to 81/2 years old. Blood samples were taken from 162 children using a finger-pricked method and IQ score was measured with the 'McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities Test' (MSCA). Blood lead concentration was analysed with a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results showed that the arithmetic mean of blood lead is 4.3ug/dL while the geometric mean is 3.15ug/dL. There is a significant inverse correlation between blood lead concentration with all of the MSCA IQ scales such as the verbal scale (p < 0.01), perception-performance scale (p<0.01), quantitative scale (p< 0.01), memory scale (p< 0.01), motor scale (p< 0.01) and general cognitive scale (p< 0.01). Results from a multiple regression analysis showed a significant inverse relationship (b= -35.8, p<0.001) between blood lead concentration and IQ score after controlling for confounding factors. The variables with the greatest influence on IQ score are blood lead concentration (b= - 36.6; p<0.001) and mother's education (b= 0.75; p=0.006). In conclusion, IQ score is influenced by blood lead concentration even at very low levels, after controlling for confounding factors

Kepekatan partikel ternafas (PM10) dan plumbum ternafas dalam udara ambient di kawasan Bandar dan luar Bandar

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti kepekatan partikel ternafas (PM10) dan kepekatan plumbum ternafas dalam udara ambien di Lembah Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Kemaman dan Setiu (Terengganu). Kajian ini telah melibatkan 5 lokasi iaitu Sek. Keb Jln. Raja Muda, Sek. Keb. Kampung Baru dan Fakulti Perubatan UKM untuk mewakili kawasan Lembah Klang, Kuala Lumpur yang dikenalpasti sebagai kawasan bandar (tercemar) manakala Sek. Keb. Bukit Kuang, Kemaman dan Sek. Keb. Rhu 10, Setiu, Terengganu mewakili kawasan luar bandar (kurang tercemar). Persampelan telah dijalankan pada bulan Jun hingga Oktober 1996. Persampelan udara dijalankan dengan menggunakan alat 'Minivol'. Kepekatan PM10 pada kertas penapis dikira dengan menggunakan kaedah gravimatrik manakala kepekatan plumbum dicerap menggunakan Spektrometer Serapan Atom Relau Grafit. Hasil kajian menunjukkan min kepekatan PM10 di Sek. Keb. Jln Raja Muda (322.50 µg/m3), Sek. Keb. Kampung Baru (515.36 µg/m3), Fakulti Perubatan UKM (225.50 µg/m3), Sek. Keb. Bukit Kuang (147.39 µg/m3) dan Sek. Keb. Rhu 10 (73.70 µg/m3). Terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan bagi kepekatan PM10 (F=8.573, p<0001) di lima lokasi persampelan. Min kepekatan plumbum di Sek. Keb. Jln. Raja Muda (0.093 µg/m3), Sek. Keb. Kampung Baru (0.146 µg/m3), Fakulti Perubatan UKM (0.071 µg/m3), Sek. Keb. Bukit Kuang (0.027 µg/m3) dan Sek. Keb. Rhu 10 (0.015 µg/m3), terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan bagi kepekatan plumbum (F=20.978, p<0.001) di kelima-lima lokasi kajian. Hasil kajian ini telah mendapati kepekatan plumbum temafas di dalam PM10 adalah kira-kira 0.029% (bandar) dan 0.019% (luar bandar). Selain daripada itu hasil analisis mendapati terdapatnya hubungan yang signifikan antara kepekatan PM10 dengan plumbum untuk kesemua lokasi kajian (r=0.675, p<0.001), kawasan bandar (r=0.648, p<0.001) dan kawasan luar bandar (r=0.946, p<0.00l)

Blood Lead Concentrations and The Neuropsychology Scores of Pregnant Women in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Pregnant women with high blood lead posed high risk to their fetus as placental transfer can occurs to the fetus. The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between blood lead and the neuropsychological score of women who were in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy. These respondents were undergoing a routine antenatal checkup at a teaching hospital located in Klang Valley areas. Blood lead concentrations were analyzed using graphite furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The neuropsychological scores were measured with WHO Neurobehavioral Core Test battery (NCTB). The test consists of 7 items, which made up of the Digit Symbol, Trail Making, Digit Span, Benton Visual Retention Test, Pursuit Aiming, Santa Ana Manual Dexterity, Reaction Time and Movement Time tests. The mean blood lead was 7.78±4.77 µg/dL. The mean score for the total NCTB test was 50.00±5.24. Statistical analysis showed blood lead concentrations were inversely correlated with the total NCTB score (r= –0.462, p≤0.01). The correlation was about 21.3%. The General Linear Model (GLM) showed that age (β= –0.15, p=0.017), weight (β=2.67, p=0.05) and height (β=–1.97, p=0.05) also influence the total neuropsychological scores. In conclusion, blood lead reduces the total neuropsychological scores. The scores for each of the 7 items were inversely and significantly correlated with blood lead concentrations except for the Trail Making and Santa Ana Manual Dexterity tests

Blood lead concentration during pregnancy and the health implication to the mothers and their babies

Lead toxicity affects mainly the haematopoietic system, the central nervous system and the excretory system. Blood lead levels of 'b3 10.0 mg/dL can lower intelligence quotient (IQ), impair hearing ability and retard growth in children. Blood lead can also be transferred directly from pregnant mothers to their foetuses. The main objective of this prospective epidemiological study was to investigate the implications of blood lead concentrations among mothers in their third trimester of pregnancy and their infants on the mothers' neurobehavioral status as well as on the mental and physical development of their infants. The Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery (NCTB) was used to assess the neuropsychological status of the pregnant mothers, while the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) was used to assess the mental, psychomotor and behavioural development of infants at 6 month of age. The study samples comprise 202 mothers in their third trimester of pregnancy and 195 infants born by them. The results of this study showed that the arithmetic mean for mothers' venous blood lead concentration was 7.78 mg/dL and its geometric mean was 6.19 mg/dL, while the arithmetic mean for the cord blood lead concentration was 14.05 mg/dL and its geometric mean was 12.44 mg/dL. The arithmetic mean for infants' capillary blood lead concentration was 2.80 mg/dL and its geometric mean was 2.33 mg/dL. The mean mothers' venous blood lead concentration (9.2 mg/dL) and cord blood lead concentration (15.5 mg/dL) among Indians were the highest in comparison with the Malays and Chinese. The cord blood lead concentration showed direct and significant relationships with mothers' venous blood lead concentration and with the capillary blood lead concentration of infants at the age of 6 months. All of the NCTB test scores showed significant (p < 0.001) inverse relationships with mothers' venous blood lead concentration, except for the Pursuit Aiming test and the Santa Ana Manual Dexterity test; whereas all scales of the BISD tests showed significant (p < 0.001) inverse relationships with infants' capillary blood lead concentration, except for the Emotional Regulations Scale which is a sub-test for the Behavioural Rating Scale (BRS). Mothers who delivered their babies abnormally were found to have a higher (19.0 mg/dL) mean cord blood lead concentration than mothers who delivered normally (13.6 mg/dL). After adjustment for the confounding factors that also influenced NCTB and BSID scores, each increment of I mg/dL in mothers venous blood lead concentration will decrease their mean NCTB scores by 0.56 point, while every increment of 1 mg/dL in infants' capillary blood lead concentration will decrease the PDI, BRS and MDI scores by 9.16, 6.77 and 4.64 points, respectively. In conclusion, low-level lead toxicity at below 10 mg/dL will result in more significant effects on the inhibition of psychomotor and behavioural development in infants as compared to their mental development. This also means that the blood lead guideline for children at 10 mg/dL may not be completely protective for infants against neurotoxin effects of lead

Effects of cobalt-60 gamma on microbial elimination and phytochemical constituents in orthosiphon aristatus (Misai Kucing) (Blume) Miq.

Medicinal plants are used for various purposes, however, the presence of microorganisms in them is the main safety risk. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation on microbial contaminants and phytochemical constituents of Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq. The plant was irradiated using doses of 3, 6, 9, and 12 kGy and the microbial contamination was assessed using phenotypic and genotypic analyses. The qualitative screening using chemical tests was performed to identify the presence of important phytochemical constituents including alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and triterpenes. Results showed that the total microbial counts in O. aristatus were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) following irradiations at 3- and 6 kGy. Pathogenic bacteria were not detected in O. aristatus after irradiation at 6 kGy while the phytochemical constituents were conserved. In conclusion, gamma irradiation has significantly reduced and eliminated microbial contaminants and preserved the phytochemical constituents of O. aristatus. This study highlights the use of a low and specific dose, 6 kGy that is effective to reduce and eliminate microbial contaminants in O. aristatus

Effects of cobalt-60 gamma on microbial elimination and phytochemical constituents in orthosiphon aristatus (misai kucing) blume (miq.)

Medicinal plants are used for various purposes, however, the presence of microorganisms in them is the main safety risk. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation on microbial contaminants and phytochemical constituents of Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq. The plant was irradiated using doses of 3, 6, 9, and 12 kGy and the microbial contamination was assessed using phenotypic and genotypic analyses. The qualitative screening using chemical tests was performed to identify the presence of important phytochemical constituents including alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and triterpenes. Results showed that the total microbial counts in O. aristatus were significantly reduced (P &amp;lt; 0.05) following irradiations at 3- and 6 kGy. Pathogenic bacteria were not detected in O. aristatus after irradiation at 6 kGy while the phytochemical constituents were conserved. In conclusion, gamma irradiation has significantly reduced and eliminated microbial contaminants and preserved the phytochemical constituents of O. aristatus. This study highlights the use of a low and specific dose, 6 kGy that is effective to reduce and eliminate microbial contaminants in O. aristatus