The cultural parameters of lead poisoning: a medical anthropologist's view of intervention in environmental lead exposure.

Trotter, Robert T. (1990) The cultural parameters of lead poisoning: a medical anthropologist's view of intervention in environmental lead exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives, 89. pp. 79-84. ISSN 1552-9924

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Abstract

This article identifies four culturally shaped sources of lead exposure in human societies: modern and historic technological sources: food habits; culturally defined health beliefs; and beauty practices. Examples of these potential sources of lead poisoning are presented from current cultures. They include the use of lead-glazed cooking pottery in Mexican-American households; folk medical use of lead in Hispanic, Arabic, South Asian, Chinese, and Hmong communities; as well as the use of lead as a cosmetic in the Near East, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Four interacting cultural conditions that create barriers to the reduction of lead exposure and lead poisoning are identified and discussed. These are knowledge deficiencies, communication resistance, cultural reinterpretations, and incongruity of explanatory models.

Item Type:	Article
Publisher’s Statement:	Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives.
Keywords:	Anthropology, Cultural; azarcon; Beauty Culture; culture; empacho; Food habits; greta; health; health behavior; Humans; Lead Poisoning; Metals
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit:	College of Social and Behavioral Science > Anthropology
Date Deposited:	30 Sep 2015 18:38
URI:	http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/578

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