EARLY LEAD-EXPOSURE AND NEONATAL JAUNDICE - RELATION TO NEUROBEHAVIORAL PERFORMANCE AT 15 YEARS OF AGE

A cohort of children who attended first grade in 1983 was identified i n a Danish community with low-level lead pollution. Two groups with hi gh and low postnatal lead exposure were generated on the basis of the dentin-lead concentration in shed deciduous incisors. At age 8 years, examination of 162 children matched according to gender and socioecono mic status had shown lead-related deficits in verbal intelligence and visuomotor coordination. Re-examination was now carried out in 141 chi ldren at age 15 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Childr en (WISC), Bender Visual Motor Gestalt, Trail Making, and Visual Gesta lts. In general, no lead-related effects could be detected in the grou p. However, in children with a history of neonatal jaundice, increased lead exposure was associated with mild neurobehavioral deficits, as i ndicated by lower verbal IQ scores and decreased visuomotor coordinati on. This finding suggested that moderate neonatal hyperbilirubinemia m ay have precipitated an increased sensitivity to subsequent exposure t o lead.