Relationship between low blood lead levels and growth in children of white-collar civil servants in Korea

The study examined the relationship between low blood lead levels and the physical growth of children in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected from 108 children (62 boys, 46 girls) aged 5–13 years, and the mean of the blood lead levels was 2.4 μg/100 ml (SD=0.7). The data analyzed included the blood lead levels, height, total arm length, weight, body mass index (BMI), and father's level of education. We used four multiple linear regression models with height, total arm length, weight, and BMI as the dependent variables, and age, sex, father's level of education, and blood lead levels as independent variables. In the multiple linear regression analysis, we found statistically significant, negative associations of height (p<0.02) and total arm length (p<0.01) with blood lead levels, but no association between blood lead or weight and BMI. Our study suggests that low blood lead levels specifically influence children's physical growth.