Clinical Management of the Lead-Poisoned Child

Abstract

Lead poisoning is not new to the 20th century. There is evidence that the Roman aristocracy of the 1st century prepared their food and wine in special leaded vessels because it imparted a sweetness. It has been hypothesized that lead poisoning may have contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire (Nriagu, 1983). In spite of this long and venerable history, in the United States today 4% of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years have blood lead levels that are greater than 30μγ/dl, an unacceptably high level (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1983).