Source of lead particles found, NGOs and researches release study conclusion
The study revealed that many samples taken from different items included lead.Photo: capecodhealth.org.
Tweet 
Share
A group of NGOs and specialists which teamed up in January 2019 have released the results of a study which aimed to determine the source of lead particles in Tbilisi.
The group had taken samples from 268 everyday items from 17 families living in Tbilisi.
Those families were selected for the study, where children turned out to have elevated levels of lead in their blood.
The study detected high concentration of lead in construction materials, everyday items, toys and food.
Spices were polluted with lead, especially saffron,” Guranda Arkopashvili from the Institute of Physics stated.
She said that bullion cubes also included lead.
Arkopashvili stated that samples had been taken from construction materials, family and every-day items, toys, stationery, bedroom items, food and ceramic products.
Many of the samples included lead,” she said.
Recommendations to the government
- The NGOs urged the government to conduct a larger-scale study and check situation at schools and kindergartens.
- They called upon the Ministry of Finance to closely check stationery, toys and construction materials at the checkpoints as every five item is polluted with lead.
- They stated that the Ministry of Economy should adopt a decree on safe toys in a timely fashion, as well as a technical regalement on heavy metals and lead.
Lead can harm the production of blood cells and bone marrow. It complicates the absorption of calcium needed for strong bones.
Lead damages nerves and cause brain and kidney issues.
The Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads, Green Alternative, Partnership for Road Safety, Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia and Quality Lab were involved in the study.
This initiative was supported by the government of Sweden through the Orbeliani platform.
The lead level in children’s blood and water quality were the main topics of the Intersectoral Coordination Council session headed by Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze on March 26.
Tests conducted by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) on 21 January show the concentration of four pollutants in the atmosphere in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi to be within normal levels, except for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and solid particle (PM10) concentrations.
Twenty families and several non-governmental organisations have teamed up and created a volunteer group to determine the volume of lead particles in Tbilisi air, announces Georgia Alliance for Safe Roads.
Georgia’s National Agency of Environment has reported based on the latest data of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the air pollution in the country equals the average air pollution levels of Eastern European countries.
The Georgian Health Ministry 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, head of the National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze said.
The first nationwide survey has been released, with 1,578 children tested, which reads that 41 per cent of Georgian children have elevated blood levels of lead. 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.
The Government of Georgia has established safety standards and technical regulations for toys, which says that the Market Surveillance Agency will be obliged to inspect toys on the Georgian market and issue recommendations.
Inspection groups from the National Food Agency are inspecting seasonal fruits and vegetables across the country, taking samples from various retail outlets and produce markets to determine the concentration of nitrates in freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.
The Adjara government in western Georgia, with the support of UNICEF Georgia, has launched a pilot project to investigate the source of lead exposure in children between two and seven years of age.
Safety standards and technical regulations for toys established by the Georgian government in January 2020 will enter into force starting today.