An-Najah Staff

Lead and it's compounds are used as additives to several products such as gasoline and paints. Lead 

has a toxic effect especially on brain and nervous system. Almost no published work has been found 

providing information about blood lead levels in children of Palestine. And thus the present work was 

carried out. 

An improved (ASV/HDME) method for determination of lead in whole blood by anodic stripping 

voltametry (ASV) using hanging dropped mercary electrode "HDME" has been developed with a special 

reagent at An-Najah N, University laboratory. 

A total of 518 sample from 10th

grade students of Jenin district, the samples have been analyzed 

using the mentioned improved method> 

The geometric mean of blood levels was 87.75 µg/L, a variation in the geometric mean of blood lead 

level was noticed with respect to students place of residence;( Camp student 119.43 µg/L), (City 

students 92.41µg/L), ( Yammon village students 77.65 µg/L). also a variation appeared with respect to school location, and the highest mean 185.71 µg/L was found in Al-Sallam males school which located 

near a heavy traffic movement and near an industrial area. In each sample statistic was carried out to se 

if there was any correlation between blood lead levels and lead risk factors. Factor that found to affect 

blood lead levels are; gasoline stations, paints workshops, highway' incinerators and quarries. Kidney 

colic joint pain, R. T. disorder and C. V. disorder appears with increasing blood lead level. Also blood 

lead level was higher in persons using tea and flour from local mills, and increased in persons with 

lower parents education and income level.