Getting the lead out

Mechanisms of lead and manganese neurotoxicity

Human exposure to neurotoxic metals is a global public health problem. Metals which cause neurological toxicity, such as lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn), are of particular concern due to the long-lasting and possibly irreversible nature of their effects. Pb exposure in childhood can result in cognitive and behavioural deficits in children. These effects are long-lasting and persist into adulthood even after Pb exposure has been reduced or eliminated. While Mn is an essential element of the human diet and serves many cellular functions in the human body, elevated Mn levels can result in a Parkinson's disease (PD)-like syndrome and developmental Mn exposure can adversely affect childhood neurological development. Due to the ubiquitous presence of both metals, reducing human exposure to toxic levels of Mn and Pb remains a world-wide public health challenge. In this review we summarize the toxicokinetics of Pb and Mn, describe their neurotoxic mechanisms, and discuss common themes in their neurotoxicity.

Use and abuse of Pb-isotope fingerprinting technique and GIS mapping data to assess lead in environmental studies

The danger to health, especially of young children, from lead-bearing particulates in the surface environment is still a valid concern. Given the multifaceted uses of lead today as well as historically, the sources of lead must be investigated to distinguish the etiology of lead contamination on the environment. The lead isotope finger printing technique based on isotopic ratio analyses (IRA) is one of the methods used commonly for provenancing lead sources in environmental studies throughout the world. This technique, however, has some inherited shortcomings. Therefore, caution must be used in the interpretation of the results, as this technique can lead to overestimations as well as underestimations of the true source etiology/apportionment of lead in specific environments. This paper illustrates this with some examples. Data on geographical information systems (GIS) mapping in urban regions are also presented in this paper.

Home lead-work as a potential source of lead exposure for children

Health examinations for lead poisoning were made on 62 family members from 15 families of homes carrying on lead work, such as quench-hardening in a molten lead bath and type-printing, as work at home. The most interesting findings concern the occurrence of cases with an unduly high lead absorption among children, but not among adult family members other than home lead-workers. The home environments of the children with an unduly high lead absorption represented contamination with housedust high in lead contents. The ingestion of the contaminated housedust by hand-to-mouth is probably responsible for the excessive lead exposure of the affected children. The results of the present study suggest that contamination of housedust with lead due to home lead-work constitutes a possible hazardous source of lead exposure for children.

Pathogenetic considerations of pica in lead poisoning

An important factor associated with lead poisoning in children is the habit of eating non-food substances, a condition termed pica. In search for underlying mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of pica, this investigation presents evidence in support of the hypothesis that in many families failure of normal mother-child interaction, paternal deprivation, culturally dependent maternal oral interests and significant stress factors in the home where abundant lead-containing material is available are etiologically related to the development of pica in lead poisoning. Other factors, which have been thought to be associated with pica, are nutritional deficiencies and maladaptive behavior patterns. A multifocal treatment approach is considered to be most effective.