Spatial Variation in Lead Levels in Blood among Children of Mumbai: Evidence from NFHS II

Niranjan Saggurti, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
K. Madhusudhan, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Lead poisoning is one of the main urban environmental hazards in most of the developing countries. Though the continual implementation of preventive measures has been implemented by the Indian government for the last few years, even today, no reliable statistics are available on the prevalence of lead poisoning and its associated factors, and hence, the problem remains poorly understood. This study highlights the current elevated lead levels in blood among the children of below three years age in the city of Mumbai. Data are obtained from the National Family Health Survey conducted in 1998 that covered a representative sample of the population. The results of this study, with its particular attention to spatial variations in blood lead levels in young children, lends support to a belief that the areas where lead poisoning is severe the children belong to slum areas, living in water bound or industrial areas.