High content of lead seen in 6 schools
By Russell Arador
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:53:00 02/22/2008
TARLAC CITY – No thanks to vehicle emissions, six public and private elementary school grounds here were found contaminated with lead at levels that pose a “health hazard to schoolchildren,” according to a study.
Conducted by Prof. Louella Ona, of the Tarlac State University’s biological and physical sciences department, the study sought to measure the levels of lead in dust from selected public and private elementary schools in Tarlac City.
It also aimed to determine if lead was present in the study areas by comparing the results to lead dust hazard standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Usepa), and recommend measures for lead reduction and prevention of adverse health effects.
The study attributed the high levels of lead contamination in the six sampling sites “mainly to vehicular emission, particularly from motor vehicles that use leaded gasoline.”
Lead is a gray-white, soft metal with a low melting point, a high resistance to corrosion and poor electrical conducting capabilities.
The study said lead “is a highly toxic metal that has long been recognized as a harmful environmental pollutant causing a wide range of health effects in humans.”
Citing a Usepa report, the study said: “Lead poisoning has been linked to mental retardation, poor academic performance and juvenile delinquency.”
The study was conducted by collecting and analyzing dust samples from six public and private elementary school grounds in Tarlac City.
Ona said school officials allowed her to conduct her research on the condition that the schools would not be identified. These schools had been chosen because they had the highest enrolment among public and private elementary schools in Tarlac City.
The study revealed that the average lead levels in the dust samples “exceeded the maximum value (40 microgram per cubic feet) set by the [Usepa].”
The study said “wet-mopping floors and wet-wiping hard surfaces using soap and water may keep dust lead levels low.”
“However, there is little point in cleaning to reduce lead dust hazard unless steps are also taken to control the source of the lead dust,” it said. It also urged the medical examination of children exposed to dangerous levels of lead.
“A blood test is the only way to find out if a child has too much lead in the body,” it said.
Carmen Calaguas, Tarlac Schools division health coordinator, said the result of the study was “new to us.”
But she said there were already health programs in place to deal with the situation.
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