title: Lead poisoning: cause for alarm.
abstract: Lead (Pb) is everywhere in our environment and all children are exposed to lead to some degree. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has recently declared that a blood lead level of 25 micrograms/dL and an erythrocyte protophoryrin of 35 micrograms/dL or above indicate an excessive absorption of lead in children and constitutes grounds for intervention. A study reported that about 780,000 (4%) of American children age 6 months to 5 years had blood lead levels of 30 micrograms/dL or higher. If the current level of 25 micrograms/dL had been used as a criterion in this study, the number of children involved would be much higher. It has been clearly stated by the American Academy of Pediatrics that ideally, all pre-school children should be screened for lead absorption by means of the erythrocyte protophoryrin test. The following is a review of lead poisoning in children and the serious consequences which may follow if it is not recognized early.
authors.affiliation: Maui Medical Group, Wailuku.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States