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" Root Causes of Lead Exposure in Rural Bangladesh "
Forsyth, Jenna Elizabeth
Ardoin, Nicole M.
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Latin Dissertation
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English
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| Record Number
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1054652
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| Doc. No
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TL53769
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| Main Entry
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Forsyth, Jenna Elizabeth
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| Title & Author
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Root Causes of Lead Exposure in Rural Bangladesh\ Forsyth, Jenna Elizabeth Ardoin, Nicole M.
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| College
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Stanford University
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| Date
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| student score
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2019
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| Note
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133 p.
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| Abstract
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Pre-natal and early childhood lead exposure to irreversibly lowers IQ. In low- and middle- income countries, the associated losses in lifetime productivity from lead exposure are estimated at nearly 1 trillion dollars. In non-industrial rural populations in Bangladesh, several studies have found unexpectedly high blood lead levels despite a lack of apparent lead sources. My dissertation contributes to understanding how rural residents are exposed to lead and what can be done to prevent future exposure. Specifically, in Chapters 1 and 2, I use epidemiologic population-based methods, combined with environmental sampling and isotopic analyses, to ask i) what is the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in pregnant women living in three rural districts? and ii) what are the sources of lead? My results indicate that 31% of women have elevated blood lead levels. Although I find several sources of lead, my isotopic analyses indicate that turmeric adulterated with a lead chromate-based pigment contributes most to human exposure. In Chapter 3, I aim to understand the incentive structure that perpetuates the use of lead in turmeric processing. My results highlight the influence of production, consumption, and regulatory factors that incentivize the use of lead chromate-based yellow pigments to make turmeric more colorful and attractive to customers. Ultimately, I provide recommendations for incentive-compatible solutions to reduce lead exposure from turmeric.
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| Descriptor
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Natural resource management
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South Asian studies
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Toxicology
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| Added Entry
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Ardoin, Nicole M.
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Stanford University
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