What is it about?
Long-term consequences among children exposed to lead poisoning in wheat flour. The findings observed in relation to the lower cognitive performance and the lower age of exposure to lead, reinforce the need to establish public health policies for the screening of neurotoxic agents (lead, mercury or arsenic), especially in children where the deleterious effect is greater and irreversible. Likewise, it is necessary to develop preventive actions in environmental health, and maintain a high degree of diagnostic suspicion for both acute lead poisoning and chronic cases that can lead to delayed psychomotor development, attention deficit or learning problems.
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Why is it important?
The observed findings that relate a lower cognitive performance with a lower age at the time of exposure to lead, reinforce the need to establish public health policies for the screening of neurotoxic agents (lead, mercury or arsenic), especially in children where the effect deleterious is major and irreversible.
Perspectives
It is necessary to develop preventive actions in environmental health, and maintain a high degree of diagnostic suspicion both for acute lead poisoning, as well as in chronic cases that may present with delayed psychomotor development, attention deficit or learning problems.
MD Eduardo Lopez
Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Efectos clínicos a largo plazo en niños intoxicados con plomo en una región del sur de Chile, Revista médica de Chile, August 2009, SciELO Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica Y Tecnologica (CONICYT),
DOI: 10.4067/s0034-98872009000800006.
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Long term consequences among children exposed to lead poisoning
In 1996 there was a massive lead poisoning in a southern rural community in Chile. The contamination source was a mill whose grinding stone was repaired with lead and contaminated the flour. Aim: To assess the presence of sequelae ten years later, among subjects that were exposed to lead on that occasion. Material and methods: Cross sectional study of 77 individuals (47 males), aged 10 to 25 years, that were exposed to lead in 1996 and were treated with EDTA. Results: Twenty one percent of subjects had a subnormal intellingence quotient (IQ). The risk of having a low IQ was significantly higher among those exposed before the age of six years. IQ was significantly lower among subjects that, immediately after the exposure, had a lead level over 48 fig/dl, compared with those that had a lead level below 43 fig/dl (86.7±7.3 and 93±11.6 respectively). No subjects with high blood pressure or evidences of nephrotoxicity were detected. Conclusions: Subjects aged ¡ess than six years at the moment of lead exposure had a lower IQ when assessed ten years later.
Lead 1
In 1996 there was a massive lead poisoning in a southern rural community in Chile. The contamination source was a mill whose grinding stone was repaired with lead and contaminated the flour.
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