Two reversal paradigm tasks (spatial reversal and spatial reversal with irrelevant color cues) originally designed to assess contingency-based responding in primates were adapted for use with 139 preschool children with a mean peak blood lead level (BLL) of 4.2 microg/dl (SD = 2.2). Sixty-nine children with BLL > or =5 microg/dl and 70 children with BLL of <5 microg/dl were included. Results in...

BACKGROUND Childhood lead exposure has been associated with growth delay. However, the association between blood lead levels (BLLs) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) has not been characterized in a large cohort with low-level lead exposure. METHODS We recruited 394 boys 8-9 years of age from an industrial Russian town in 2003-2005 and followed them annually thereafter. We used linear r...

We examined the geographic distribution of the blood lead levels (BLLs) of 677,112 children born between 1994 and 1997 in New York State and screened before 2 years of age. Five percent of the children screened had BLLs higher than the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action level of 10 microg/dL. Rates were higher in upstate cities than in the New York City area. We modeled t...

The recent discovery of high levels of lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, and in several urban school districts has focused public attention on the potential harms of blood lead, particularly for children’s development. While child blood lead levels (BLLs) have declined dramatically over the past several decades, estimates suggest that there are still a half a million preschoolaged ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate blood lead levels in schoolchildren in two areas of Egypt to understand the current lead pollution exposure and its risk factors, aiming to improve prevention politicies. SUBJECTS AND METHOD This was a cross-sectional study in children (n=400) aged 6-12 years recruited from two areas in Egypt (industrial and urban). Blood lead levels were measured using an atomic abso...

Lead is a toxic metal that damages blood cells, the kidneys, the cardiovascular system, and the developing nervous system. The risk for lead exposure causing subsequent cognitive and neurobehavioral deficits is especially high among toddlers because of their hand-to-mouth activities and their higher absorption of ingested lead compared with adults. In January 2013, the New Mexico Department of ...

BACKGROUND Tetraethyl lead was phased out of gasoline in Uganda in 2005. Recent mitigation of an important source of lead exposure suggests examination and re-evaluation of the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning in this country. Ongoing concerns persist about exposure from the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala, the country's capital. OBJECTIVES We determined blood lead distributions among Kampa...

BackgroundLead is a strong and stable toxin, harmful especially to children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Nearly 27% of children aged under 5 years suffer from failure to thrive (FTT). Due to the probable harmful effects of lead poisoning on children’s growth, in this study we aimed to assess the blood lead level in children with unexplained failure to thrive.MethodsThis analytic cross-sect...