Delayed visual maturation and lead pollution

Three children were born in the Broken Hill Australia lead mining community with delayed visual maturation of the optic nerve (blindness) within a per iod of 19 months. Because of the association with the lead pollution, the d elayed visual maturation was attributed to lead exposure of the fetus durin g pregnancy. Lead isotopic analyses of the shed deciduous teeth from the th ree children demonstrate that they were not exposed to increased levels of lead from a mining or any other source during pregnancy and the etiology of the delayed visual maturation must be sought elsewhere. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.