Disease Control Centre says lead blood levels down in Georgian children
Several studies indicate high level of lead in spices, toys and some paints. Photo: NCDC.
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The lead level in children’s blood has gone down, the Head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Amiran Gamkrelidze stated today.
The head of the NCDC said that the Georgian Health Ministry’s educational work about high lead levels in blood has resulted in positive new figures.
The families where lead content was elevated last year were checked again in 2019. The results of the analysis show that the dynamics are positive. The lead level has gone down.”
“The Georgian Ministry of Health invited one of the most experienced organizations from the US in Georgia in July 2019. They checked sixteen families with the highest lead content and other families too with special equipment. They researched the level of lead in the air, water and food. 650 children had high lead blood levels. These children and their families are being studied now. Up to 35% have already been studied. The Ministry provides them with calcium, vitamins and iron-containing pills”, said Amiran Gamkrelidze.
Head of the NCDC Amiran Gamkrelidze stressed that several studies indicate high level of lead in spices, toys and some paints.
People often ask if we are dealing with a disaster. My answer is ‘NO’. The condition is not dangerous, but it’s considering”, said Amiran Gamkrelidze.
The first nationwide survey was conducted with 1578 children in Georgia in 2018. The survey indicated that 41% of Georgian children had elevated blood levels of lead.
During the study, samples of blood were collected from randomly selected children from 2-7 years of age across Georgia and were sent to the Italian National Institute of Health, one of the leading public health institutions in Europe.
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 causes brain and kidney issues.
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 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.
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.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), one of the largest household surveys worldwide, kicks off in Georgia this week. It will be held over the course of three months and collect high quality, internationally comparable data about the situation of families, children and women throughout the country.
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.
UN Environment, World Health Organisation, the US Environment Protection Agency and other partners have teamed up to assist Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan in the establishment and implementation of a regulation on lead paint.
Georgian authorities have detected no excessive lead in food sold in the country after inspecting 118 samples of various products, the National Food Agency announced on Thursday.
The National Food Agency of Georgia on Wednesday warned customers who have purchased Chinese-made ceramic plates from the Junior series by Ambition at Domino hypermarket in Tbilisi, after lead was detected in the product following testing.
A children’s nail polish set, a xylophone and eight types of slimes are among 77 toys suspended from sale on the domestic market after an inspection revealed lead, peeling paint and other issues with the items, local media outlet Interpressnews reported on Monday.
Georgia is committed to addressing lead poisoning “comprehensively” and with “a united global community” it can achieve “greater results”, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Wednesday in his remarks at the World Economic Forum panel discussion - Towards a Lead-Free Future.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said lead poisoning “stands out” as one of the “most pressing” public health challenges in the world, including in Georgia, at the panel discussion titled Towards a Lead-Free Future, held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.