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Environmental lead contamination in Miami inner-city area

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 12, pages 265–272 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the magnitude of environmental lead contamination in the downtown area of Miami. Methods: Lead inspections took place at 121 homes in Little Haiti and Liberty City and involved the collection of representative samples from floors, window wells, tap water, soil and air. Community health workers (CHWs) trained in interview and safety techniques went from door to door to enlist participation. On-site investigations were tailored to areas most utilized by children under the age of 6 years. The presence of lead-containing paint was also investigated in situ via X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. Results: Of the sampling areas, the window wells area had the most abundant occurrence of lead. On analysis, 24% of sites returned window well samples with lead levels above Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines. Of the soil samples, the playgrounds around the house had the highest concentration of lead. Soil sampling demonstrated that 27.5% of sites returned samples with lead levels (400 to 1600 ppm) in excess of HUD/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Positive XRF readings in one or more components were returned by 18% of sites. Conclusions: More than half of the houses in these two neighborhoods exhibited unacceptably high levels of lead dust and soil in areas where children live and play. Limitations of this study did not allow the assessment of how many children in this area are affected. A more comprehensive study including other areas of Miami-Dade County with older housing stock is recommended.

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Abbreviations

MDCHD:

Miami-Dade County Health Department

XRF:

X-ray fluorescence

HUD:

Housing and Urban Development

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

CLPP:

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention

FIU:

Florida International University

WHO:

World Health Organization

CHW:

community health worker

μg/dl:

micrograms per deciliter

μg/m3:

micrograms per cubic meter

ppm:

parts per million

ppb:

parts per billion

μg/ft2:

micrograms per square foot

References

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  • World Health Organization and UNICEF Primary Health Care. Geneva, Switzerland, WHO 1978

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Acknowledgements

Three institutions were involved in the study: Florida International University (FIU) Department of Public Health staff were responsible for overall study design and implementation, field operations, data analysis, and reporting; Ambient Environmental — responsible for environmental lead investigations including sampling and analyzing environmental samples; Miami-Dade Resident College (Consultants) — provided assistance in hiring two community health workers and their supervisor who helped in the community outreach activities of the project through locating and setting up an appointment with the parents/guardians who had a child under 6 years of age and who were willing to participate in the study. The personnel of the project wish to thank Florence Bayuk Foundation, which awarded a graduate fellowship in health sciences to Dr. Mohammed Imana, a graduate assistant in the Department of Public Health; the Dean of the College of Health and Urban Affairs; the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies; and the Chairperson of the Department of Public Health and the faculty of the same department for securing the respective funds that made possible this pilot study and for their support and assistance all the way until the end of this project. We are very grateful to the many graduate students in the Department of Public Health at FIU who helped in the data collection phase of this research. We thank all the residents who allowed us to enter their homes to do sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151 St., ACI 394H, North Miami, 33181, Florida, USA

    JANVIER GASANA

  2. Ambient Environmental Inc., 1877 SW 25th Street, Miami, Florida, USA

    ARMANDO CHAMORRO

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  1. JANVIER GASANA
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  2. ARMANDO CHAMORRO
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Correspondence to JANVIER GASANA.

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GASANA, J., CHAMORRO, A. Environmental lead contamination in Miami inner-city area. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 12, 265–272 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500227

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