Exposure to lead when manufacturing cookware from scrap metal: A public health threat in the artisanal sector in DR Congo

AIM The objective of this study was to investigate the exposure to lead (Pb) among artisan workers manufacturing cookware from scrap metal and their community. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey in six cookware manufacturing workshops and, for comparison, eight carpentry workshops (negative controls) and 14 lead batteries repairing workshops (positive controls). All workshops are located in areas without mining activities of Lubumbashi city. We collected surface dust samples of the workspaces, and blood and urine samples of the workers and residents from the sites where the workshops are installed. Element determination was performed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS In the artisanal cookware manufacturers (ACM) group, bood and urinary lead concentration geometric mean {121.5 μg/L [interquartile range(IQR 79.1-206.5)] and [3.3 μg/g (1.5-7.1)]} were estimated to be about twice as high as the negative control group {[60.2 μg/L (37.2-94.0)] and [0.9 μg/g, (0.3-3.8)]} and half the value of the positive control goup {[241.8 μg/L (82.8-591.7)] and [7.2 μg/g (1.1-26.3)]}. Among residents from the site of the workshop, children had higher urinary Pb concentrations [6.2 μg/g (2.3-19.3)] than the workers. CONCLUSION This investigation demonstrates a substantial occupational Pb exposure among ACM and warns on the hazards for residents, especially children, due to the installation of these activities in residential&nbsp;sites.</p

Energy Drink Consumption among Adolescents Attending Schools in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: The consumption of energy drinks (EDs) is increasing in the general population, but little is known about the consumption of EDs among pupils in Africa. This study was designed to assess the consumption of EDs among pupils between 10 and 17 years of age and to assess average caffeine concentrations contained in EDs sold in&nbsp;Lubumbashi. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in five schools using a standardised questionnaire taken face-to-face. Samples of locally purchased EDs were analysed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Ultra-Violet spectrometry (HPLC-UV). RESULTS: Of 338 pupils (54% girls), 63% reported having consumed at least one ED in the last week and 34% drank at least one ED a day. The cheapest ED was the most widely consumed. Among pupils having consumed at least one ED in the last week, 79% reported consuming it for refreshment and 15% to get energy. For those who reported not consuming EDs, 40% reported that their parents or teachers forbade them to drink EDs. Some (14%) teenagers, mainly boys, mixed ED with alcohol. The concentrations of caffeine measured in twelve brands of EDs ranged from 7.6 to 29.4 mg/100 mL (median 23.3), giving caffeine contents of 37.5 to 160 mg (median 90 mg) per can or bottle. The estimated daily intake of caffeine through EDs was between 51.3 mg and 441.3 mg among those consuming EDs&nbsp;regularly. CONCLUSION: Our study convincingly demonstrates that caffeine-containing EDs are not only consumed by youngsters living in affluent societies. We documented widespread regular consumption of EDs among (pre-)adolescent schoolchildren living in Lubumbashi, a large city of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In view of the global market expansion of caffeinated EDs, it is reasonable to suspect that similar surveys in other urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa would yield similar findings. Pricing and advertising regulations and education on EDs are necessary to limit the regular consumption of EDs among&nbsp;adolescents.</p