Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40117538›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental health perspectives2025

Blood Lead Levels in Children 5 to 7 Years of Age from the Republic of Georgia: A Feasibility Study on Lead Surveillance Using Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling.

Charlotta Rylander, Erik Eik Anda, Ciprian Mihai Cirtiu, Tamar Jankhoteli, Nino Dzotsenidze, Vladimer Ghetia, Ekaterine Adamia, Paata Imnadze, Tinatin Manjavidze

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental health perspectives, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Charlotta RylanderDepartment of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-5056-9452
Erik Eik AndaDepartment of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Ciprian Mihai CirtiuCentre de toxicologie du Quebec, Institut National de Santé du Publique du Quebec, Quebec, Canada.
Tamar JankhoteliNational Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Nino DzotsenidzeUNICEF Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Vladimer GhetiaNational Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Ekaterine AdamiaNational Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Paata ImnadzeNational Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Tinatin ManjavidzeNational Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor years, children in the Republic of Georgia, have experienced elevated blood lead levels (BLLs). From September 2023 to April 2024, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health in Georgia piloted a national surveillance program for lead in children in two western regions of the country, using volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) to measure BLLs.

objectivesWe monitored BLLs and assessed predictors of elevated BLLs in children 5-7 years of age from two regions in the Republic of Georgia. We also aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of VAMS for BLL surveillance.

methodsChildren 5-7 years of age were randomly selected from the regions of Adjara and Imereti, Georgia, and 1,635 children participated. A trained phlebotomist collected two capillary blood samples from the children's fingertips using

resultsApproximately 39.8%, 20%, and 4% of the participants had BLLs DISCUSSION: Our findings confirm that lead exposure remains a significant public health issue in two regions of the Republic of Georgia, despite a national decrease in BLLs over the past 5 years. To our knowledge, this research marks the first large-scale application of VAMS technology for national BLL surveillance, offering significant advantages as a less invasive lead testing method that is accurate and suitable for settings with limited resources to handle, store, and transport venous blood samples. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15788.

Indexed as

Environmental ExposureEnvironmental MonitoringEnvironmental PollutantsLeadChildChild, PreschoolFeasibility StudiesFemaleGeorgia (Republic)HumansMaleEnvironmental PollutantsLead

Identifiers

PMID40117538
PMCPMC12052077

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.