Is compliance to current lead regulations safe enough for infants and toddlers?

Background: Neurobehavioural and cognitive impairment may arise from children's exposure to lead. To prevent this risk, a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) has been issued by WHO and many regulations addressing lead emission to the environment have been introduced. Taking into account both lead concentrations in soil and the importance of soil in children's exposure, we examined whether compliance to the above current regulations is safe enough for children. Methods: Exposure scenarios were devised for infants and toddlers, the 2 populations most sensitive to lead toxicity, considering three typical environmental settings, that is, rural, urban, and in the vicinity of lead emitting industrial sites. For all 3 scenarios, we used available data describing the current French levels of both lead contamination in various media (water, air, soil) and lead intake through food. Acute lead intoxication from old lead-containing paints was excluded from this study. Results: We have shown that WHO's TDI is exceeded in several situations for both populations, and thus children may be subject to unacceptable levels of risk. Conclusion: We conclude that it may be advisable to take fuller account of the contribution of soil to lead exposure.