Lead poisoning in an electrician: a bad substitute for a bad habit.
An electrician presented with a four-month history of unexplained abdominal pain and constipation, which had prompted four hospital admissions and numerous investigations. Blood-film results suggested lead poisoning, and an occupational history revealed that he had chewed about a metre of electrical cable (which contains lead) daily for 10 years as a substitute for smoking.
Ward
M S
MS
Haematology Department, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, PathCentre, Perth, WA.
Henderson
A M
AM
Rossi
E
E
Raven
J L
JL
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D015913:Chelation Therapy; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004559:Electric Wiring; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*
D004492:Edetic Acid