Citation:

Frank, J., A. Poulakos, R. Tornero-Velez, AND J. Xue. Systematic review and meta-analyses of lead (Pb) concentrations in environmental media (soil, dust, water, food, and air) reported in the United States from 1996 to 2016. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier BV, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, 694:133489, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.295

Impact/Purpose:

The objective of this manuscript is to report the systematic review and meta-analyses undertaken in support of U.S. EPA’s Pb exposure-dose modeling effort. A database was created that included Pb concentration data for multiple environmental media (air, soil, dust, water, and food) and associated sample collection characteristics for samples collected in the United States from 1996 - 2016 and published in peer-reviewed and grey articles. Random effects models were run on subgroups that shared similar sample collection characteristics (e.g., residential, community gardens, Pb Superfund, benchmark, first draw) to generate single group mean summaries. The results from the random effects meta-analyses were then compared to data from national surveys. Finally, sensitivity analyses were conducted by running the meta-analyses on the combined national survey and literature datasets.

Description:

Environmental lead (Pb) contamination is a persistent public health issue that prominently impacts communities across the United States. Multimedia Pb exposure assessments are utilized to provide a holistic evaluation of Pb exposure and inform the development of programs and regulations that are protective of human health. To conduct multimedia exposure assessments, robust, media-specific environmental Pb concentration data are necessary. To support this effort, systematic review and meta-analysis methods were used to conduct a comprehensive synthesis of research measuring Pb in multiple environmental media (soil, dust, water, food, and air) over a 20-year period within the United States. The breadth of the resulting database allowed for the evaluation of sample characteristics that can serve as indicators of environmental Pb contamination. Random effects models run on literature and national survey datasets generated overall mean estimates of Pb concentrations that can be used for multimedia Pb exposure modeling for general and high-exposure-risk populations. Results from our study highlighted several important trends: 1) The mean estimate of Pb in residential soils is three times higher for urbanized areas than non-urbanized areas; 2) The mean estimate of Pb in produce reported in the literature is approximately three orders of magnitude greater than commercially-sourced raw produce monitored in national surveys; 3) The mean estimate of Pb in soils from shooting ranges is two times greater than non-residential Pb contaminated Superfund sites reported in the literature; 4) Research reporting environmental Pb concentrations for school and daycare sites is very limited; 5) Inconsistent sample collection and reporting of results limited synthesis efforts; and 6) The U.S. EPA's Air Quality System was the most robust, publicly available national survey resource. Results from these analyses will inform future multimedia Pb exposure assessments and be useful in prioritizing future research and program development.

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