LEAD-POISONING

Lead poisoning is the most common disease of environmental origin in t he United States today. Adult lead poisoning results primarily from ex posure by inhalation in the workplace. Pediatric lead poisoning result s principally from the ingestion of lead from environmental media, inc luding paint chips, dust, soil, drinking water, ceramics, and medicati ons. Lead is toxic to many organ systems, among them developing erythr ocytes, the kidneys, and the nervous system. Lead-induced toxicity to the central nervous system causes delayed development, diminished inte lligence, and altered behavior. In young children, this effect has bee n demonstrated convincingly to occur at blood lead levels between 10 a nd 20 mug per dl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has r ecommended that a blood lead level of 10 mug per dl or higher be consi dered evidence of increased lead absorption, and the National Academy of Sciences has concurred in that recommendation. Unresolved issues in need of further study include the frequency of screening young childr en for lead, the question of whether women should be offered screening for lead before conceiving a pregnancy, the role of x-ray fluorescenc e analysis in assessing lead in bone, and the appropriate legislative response of the United States government to lead-based paint abatement .