Relationship between lead exposure indicators and neuropsychological performance in children.
This study surveyed 237 schoolchildren in a lead-polluted industrial area in northern Italy to assess the relationship between various biological indicators (lead in blood, hair and teeth, and delta-aminolevulinic dehydratase [ALA-D] activity) and some neuropsychological functions, assessed by a battery of five psychometric tests. The geometric means of lead measured in blood, hair and teeth were 10.99 micrograms/dl, 6.79 micrograms/g and 6.05 micrograms/g, respectively. Mean ALA-D activity was 51 mU/ml RBC. By analysis of covariance, after regressing out the variance accountable to confounding variables (age, sex, occupation/education of parents), Total and Verbal WISC-R IQ and Toulouse Pieron test results were significantly affected by the levels of lead in teeth. ALA-D values also appeared to be related to WISC-R IQ results (Total, Verbal and Performance).
Bergomi
M
M
Hygiene Institute, University of Modena, Italy.
Borella
P
P
Fantuzzi
G
G
Vivoli
G
G
Sturloni
N
N
Cavazzuti
G
G
Tampieri
A
A
Tartoni
P L
PL
D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014070:Tooth / Q000378:metabolism
D007854:Lead