title: Blood lead levels in patients with lead shot retained in the appendix.
abstract: Seven patients with one or two lead shots retained in the appendix were identified by radiography. For each case, two sex- and age-matched control patients without lead shot in the appendix were found. None of the 7 patients with lead shot in the appendix had blood lead levels (median 0.55 mumol/l) approaching the toxic levels, but they averaged almost twice the levels of the controls (median 0.29 mumol/l). Thus, lead shots may add to individual lead exposures, and blood lead analysis should be performed, at least when more than a few lead shots are present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Skjødt
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grandjean
mesh_terms: D001065:Appendix; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D007854:Lead