Unexpected High Blood Lead Levels in a Remote Indigenous Community in the Northeastern Peruvian Amazon
Mayor Aparicio, Pedro Ginés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Rius-Taberner, Guillem (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Ulloa, Gabriela M. (Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia)
Orta-Martínez, Martí (Universitat de Barcelona. Institute de Recerca de la Biodiversitat)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Recent studies suggest that Pb-based ammunition could be an important route of Pb exposure for Indigenous Peoples in tropical rainforests. We analyzed blood lead levels (BLL) and isotopic signatures in 111 humans, 97 wild animals, 81 fish, and potential environmental Pb sources in an Indigenous community in the remote and well-preserved Peruvian Amazon with no history of industrial activity. Median BLL was 11. 74 μg dL -1, with BLL ≥ 5 µg dL -1 in 95. 8% children <12-yo and 94. 5% adults. Pb concentrations in wild animals were 7. 00 ± 22. 40 mg kg -1 DW in liver, 0. 06 ± 0. 09 mg kg -1 DW in fish muscle tissues, 17. 1 ± 10. 8 mg kg -1 in soils and 3. 4-3. 8 mg L -1 in the main river, although 0. 43-0. 53 mg L -1 were the Pb levels in decanted water used for drinking and cooking. The similarity of isotopic signatures (207/206 Pb and 208/206 Pb) shows that the main Pb sources for humans are river waters (97. 6%) and Pb-based ammunition (78. 7%). Fish and wildlife act as Pb transporters from water, and wildlife act as Pb transporter from ammunition. Evidence of high human BLL in a remote, non-industrialized Amazonian area demonstrates the urgency of designing regional policies that include health prevention measures, focused on drinking water filtration systems and the use of non-toxic, Pb-free ammunitions.
Grants:	Instituto de Salud Carlos III CNPq-400800/2019-5 Agencia Estatal de Investigación RYC-2016-21366 Agencia Estatal de Investigación RTI2018-095949-B-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2022-141463OB-I00 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MDM-2015-0552 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M "la Caixa" Foundation LCF/BQ/DI24/12070014
Note:	Altres ajuts: Fundació Autònoma Solidària FS-XXX-18.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Lead poisoning ; Lead-based ammunition ; Drinking waters ; Subsistence hunting ; Indigenous Peoples ; Amazon ; Planetary health
Published in:	Toxics, Vol. 13 (september 2025) , ISSN 2305-6304

DOI: 10.3390/toxics13100826
PMID: 41150525

19 p, 1.7 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles