Title: Human health risk assessment of lead in drinking water: a case study from Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Authors: Evens Emmanuel, Ruth Angerville, Osnick Joseph, Yves Perrodin

Addresses: Laboratoire de Qualite de l'Eau et de l'Environnement, Universite Quisqueya, BP 796, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. ' Laboratoire de Qualite de l'Eau et de l'Environnement, Universite Quisqueya, BP 796, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. ' Laboratoire de Qualite de l'Eau et de l'Environnement, Universite Quisqueya, BP 796, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. ' Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement, Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'Etat, Rue Maurice Audin, 69518 Vaulx-en-Velin, France

Abstract: In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), human intoxication to lead is considered as an important public health issue. In Port-au-Prince, concentrations of lead ranging from 40 µg/L to 90 µg/L, greater than the threshold value (10 µg/L) for drinking water, were measured in groundwater and drinking water. This study aims to assess human health risks generated by exposure to lead in the Port-au-Prince water supply. Two sampling campaigns were performed between April 2004 and December 2004 on different structures of the public water supply. A significant lead concentration of 250 µg/L, greater than the threshold value, had been detected in a water tank. Risk of deterioration of the psychological development of children exposed to these waters was calculated. These results require monitoring in order to control the human health risk by lead in Port-au-Prince|s drinking water.

Keywords: lead concentrations; human health; risk assessment; drinking water; Haiti; public health; environmental pollution; groundwater; lead exposure; monitoring.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2007.016496

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2007 Vol.31 No.3/4, pp.280 - 291

Published online: 03 Jan 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article