Screening for pediatric lead poisoning. Comparability of simultaneously drawn capillary and venous blood samples.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the ability of capillary blood lead levels to accurately reflect true blood lead levels in children at risk for lead poisoning.


METHODS
A correlation study in which lead levels of capillary blood specimens obtained by four different methods were compared with lead levels of simultaneously drawn venous blood specimens.


METHODS
A central-city pediatric primary care clinic and door-to-door home visits in one central-city neighborhood.


METHODS
Two hundred ninety-five children at high risk for lead poisoning aged 6 months to 6 years.


METHODS
Blood lead levels of simultaneously drawn capillary and venous blood specimens.


RESULTS
Lead levels of all four capillary sampling methods were highly correlated (correlation coefficient > or = 0.96) with matched venous blood lead levels, with mean capillary-venous differences less than 0.05 mumol/L (1 microgram/dL).


CONCLUSIONS
Capillary sampling is an acceptable alternative to venipuncture for lead-poisoning screening in young children.
Schlenker
T L
TL
Salt Lake City-County Health Department, UT 84190-2150.
Fritz
C J
CJ
Mark
D
D
Layde
M
M
Linke
G
G
Murphy
A
A
Matte
T
T
D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods*; D002196:Capillaries; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014680:Veins
D007854:Lead