Cereal and Juice, Lead and Arsenic, Our Children at Risk: A Call for the FDA to Re-Evaluate the Allowable Limits of Lead and Arsenic That Children May Ingest.

Eliminating heavy metal contamination of foods is a goal yet to be achieved in the U.S. In recent months, efforts have been underway to have the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) re-evaluate the permissible limits of lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) allowable in cereals and juices aimed for consumption by children.

Chelation during sequential pregnancies: A case report with a twist.

This report summarizes chelation management of lead poisoning occurring during sequential pregnancies. Several aspects make this case unusual; firstly recurrent lead poisoning, secondly treatment with succimer, the use of which is very rarely reported in pregnancy, and thirdly the presence of co-existent vitamin D deficiency and hyperparathyroidism, both potential contributors to bone lead release.

Low-level Lead Exposure Impairs Fronto-executive Functions: A Call to Update the DSM-5 with Lead Poisoning as a Neurodevelopmental Disorder.

Lead (Pb) exposure continues to occur despite efforts to reduce its environmental sources, and affects millions of children in the US alone. Finding Pb in blood samples indicates that exposure has resulted in absorption with the potential for distribution to all cells in the body. Research conducted during the last two decades and summarized here has demonstrated that the brain is a critical target organ for detrimental Pb effects, especially causing fronto-executive dysfunctions (FED).

Vitamin D and pulmonary function in obese asthmatic children.

Objective: Asthma-related morbidity is higher among children with vitamin D deficiency and obesity, morbidities that frequently co-exist among minority children. However, the effect of co-existent obesity and vitamin D deficiency on pulmonary function is poorly understood.

Methods: We compared percent-predicted values of pulmonary function across vitamin D categories among 72 obese and 71 normal-weight Hispanic and African-American children with asthma recruited at an urban children's hospital.

Hormonal contraception and blood lead levels in inner-city adolescent girls.

Study Objective: Physiological states of estrogen deficiency can lead to bone demineralization. Lead is stored in bone and may be released into blood during demineralization. The contraceptive injection depomedroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is associated with estrogen deficiency and bone demineralization and, we hypothesized, may be associated with toxic blood lead levels in adolescents at high risk for lead exposure.

[Managing childhood lead poisoning].

This paper reviews the clinical management of children with lead poisoning. A first step is to define the measures to be used in their assessment and be aware of the limitations. Measurements of blood lead levels can be made on anticoagulated whole blood samples using either: atomic absorption spectroscopy or anodic stripping voltametry.

A randomized trial of calcium supplementation for childhood lead poisoning.

Objective: Lead (Pb) poisoning remains a common disease among children despite successful public health efforts that have reduced its prevalence. Treatment options for children with blood Pb levels (BPbs) <45 micro g/dL are limited because chelation therapy is generally not indicated. Calcium (Ca) and Pb interactions are well documented.