Blood lead levels in emergency department patients with retained lead bullets and shrapnel.

Objective: To determine whether patients with retained lead shrapnel who present to the ED have elevated whole blood lead levels (BLLs) compared with matched control patients.

Methods: Test subjects were patients with x-ray evidence of retained lead shrapnel who presented to any of three urban EDs, and consented to inclusion in the study. BLLs were obtained from 15 ED patients, and data regarding time since injury and symptoms of plumbism were collected.