Background: In most industrialized countries, occupational lead poisoning has become increasingly rare, however this metal remains a serious health hazard in the rest of the world.
Report Of Cases: We observedfour male patients (aged 35 / 54 years) who had suffered recurrent abdominal pain due to recent lead exposure (for 7 to 13 months) in two Chinese battery recycling plants. On their return to Italy, three of them presented normocytic, normochromic anaemia. The diagnosis was confirmed by high lead levels in the blood and urine, decreased erythrocyte delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D), raised erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (ZP), and elevated urinary excretion of b-aminolevulinic acid (ALA-U) and porphyrins. Chelation with EDTA resulted in increased urinary lead excretion, improvement of the clinical picture, decreased ZP, and progressive normalization of the other lead biomarkers (Pb-B, ALA-D, ALA-U, urinary porphyrins).
Conclusions: Temporary work in developing countries may result in imported lead poisoning. Differential diagnosis of this unusual condition requires careful medical history collection and specific toxicological analysis. Preventive measures for workers going abroad are needed.
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Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol
February 2025
Department of Odontology, Section of Oral Biology and Immunopathology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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Department of Radiation Biology and Toxicology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India. Electronic address:
Lead (Pb) is an environmental toxin ubiquitously present in the human environment due to anthropogenic activities and industrialization. Lead can enter the human body through various sources and pathways, such as inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact, leading to detrimental health effects. The majority of lead that enters the body is removed by urine or feces; however, under chronic exposure conditions, lead is not efficient, as lead is absorbed and transferred to numerous organs, such as the brain, liver, kidney, muscles, and heart, and it is ultimately stored in mineralizing tissues such as bones and teeth.
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Clinic Director, Cavity Busters Doylestown, Doylestown, PA Adjunct Professor Pediatric Dentistry University of Texas HSC at San Antonio Clinical Professor, Pediatric Dentistry Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine.
A unique type of advertising trade card was popular in Europe, mostly Belgium, between 1840 and 1865. These cards were produced with a coating of a white lead substance that gave them a lustrous appearance and feel, resembling porcelain. As attractive as these cards were, producing them oftentimes resulted in lead poisoning for the printers, so few were produced after 1865.
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