Research progress on risk assessment of children's lead exposure based on sentinel animals

Abstract

Abstract:

Blood lead levels in sentinel animals（particularly domestic dogs） show significant correlations with those in children，serving as effective indicators for monitoring lead exposure in children and early warning signals of environmental lead risks to human health. Given that domestic dogs share living environments with children，are exposed to the same lead pollution sources（such as soil，dust，food，and water），and have highly similar exposure pathways，their blood lead levels can directly reflect the potential health risks of environmental lead pollution. The blood lead levels of domestic dogs can thus serve as crucial early warning indicators for human health risks from environmental lead. By monitoring the blood lead levels of domestic dogs before clinical symptoms of lead poisoning appear in children，we can identify environmental lead pollution hazards early，providing scientific evidence for timely intervention measures to protect children's health. This article reviews the correlation between blood lead levels in sentinel animals（with domestic dogs as the focus） and those in children，outlines domestic and international procedures and commonly used methods for health risk assessment of lead exposure，explores pollution sources of lead exposure in children and the origins and migration pathways of lead in the environment，clarifies the effectiveness of sentinel animals as indicators for children's blood lead levels，and analyzes their application prospects in environmental lead exposure monitoring.

Key words: Sentinel animal, Domestic dog, Children's blood lead, Lead exposure, Risk assessment, Pollution source identification

CLC Number:

R183

SUN Yan, ZHANG Yaqun, WANG Minzhen, SHANG Tingting, ZHENG Shan. Research progress on risk assessment of children's lead exposure based on sentinel animals. [J]OCCUPATION AND HEALTH, 2026, 42(19): 2722-2726.

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