Environmental Health Researcher Wins Fulbright to Study Lead Poisoning in India
More than 100 million people in India battle the debilitating effects of lead poisoning, according to a recent study by the advocacy group The George Foundation. The disease wreaks its effects mostly on exposed occupational workers, pregnant women, and children, but the harmful results of exposure are preventable, giving researchers like HSPH's Howard Hu hope to stem the phenomenon.
Hu, associate
professor of occupational medicine in the Department of Environmental
Health, has received a Senior Fulbright Scholarship to support research
and teaching in India. He will work with colleague Kalpana Balakrishnan
of the Sri Ramachandra Medical College (SRMC) in India, on an environmental
epidemiological study of the impact of lead exposure on children's mental
development and school performance in the state of Tamil Nadu. SRMC is
affiliated with Harvard Medical International, an international extension
of HMS.
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic element, and exposure poses a serious threat to children whose neurological systems are still developing. Some children suffer from brain damage, poor motor skills coordination, and damaged kidneys. They may have trouble learning new subjects and may exhibit behavioral problems. The effects of lead poisoning are irreversible, however, they can sometimes be ameliorated by non-pharmacological interventions by teachers, physicians, and social workers. Exposure prevention remains the key to ending the disease.
According
to the World Bank, the most common sources of lead poisoning worldwide
are from gasoline additives, soldering, lead-based paints, ceramic glazes,
tainted drinking water, and cosmetic and folk remedies. In India, much
of the exposure results from leaded gasoline, which remains the fuel of
choice in many developing countries because it is cheaper than unleaded
gas.
In his study, Hu plans to measure the lead levels in the discarded baby teeth of 300 elementary school-aged children in India and correlate the levels to the children's performances on standardized tests. Hu is interested in identifying a link between lead exposure and compromised intellectual abilities.
"This is the kind of study that would simultaneously bolster environmental health research in India and perhaps affect public policy," said Hu.
Accompanying Hu is his wife, HSPH Director of Alumni Programs Sudha Kotha. She will be working with HSPH alumna Kezevino Aram, who graduated last year after receiving the Albert Schweitzer Award for community service. Kotha will join Aram at the Shanti (Peace) Ashram, which provides public health services to 30 villages around Coimbature, Southern India. Kotha will also be visiting other HSPH alumni in India.
Hu and Kotha left for India in late November and will return to HSPH
in March 2001.
