Lead exposure and children's intelligence: Do low levels of lead in blood cause mental deficit?

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health

Volumn 33, Issue 1, 1997, Pages 12-17

  De Silva, P E ^a,b   Christophers, A J ^a,c  

^a AMCOSH Occupational Health Services   (Australia)

^b Department of Health ^*  (Australia)

^c Industrial Hygiene Division   (Australia)

Author keywords

direction of causation; intelligence; lead

Indexed keywords

LEAD;

BRAIN DISEASE; CHILD; HUMAN; INTELLIGENCE; LEAD BLOOD LEVEL; MENTAL DEFICIENCY; NEUROTOXICITY; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REVIEW;

EID: 0031041731     PISSN: 10344810     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1997.tb00984.x     Document Type: Review

References (31)

1. de la Burde B, Choate MS. Does asymptomatic lead exposure in children have latent sequelae? J. Pediatr. 1972; 81: 1088-91.
2. Needleman HL, Gatsonis CA. Low-level lead exposure and the IQ of children. JAMA 1990; 263: 673-8.
3. Robinson MJ, Roberton DM. Practical Paediatrics. Melbourne: Churchill Livingstone, 1994: 129.
4. Dietrich KN, Berger OG, Succop PA, Hammond PB, Bornschein RL. The developmental consequences of low to moderate prenatal lead exposure: Intellectual attainment in the Cincinnati lead study cohort following school entry. Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 1993; 15: 37-44.
5. McAlpine C, Singh NN. Pica in institutionalized mentally retarded persons. J. Ment. Defic. Res. 1986; 30: 171-8.
6. Danford DE, Huber AM. Pica among mentally retarded adults. Am. J. Ment. Def. 1982; 87: 141-6.
7. Bayley N. Consistency and variability in the growth of intelligence from birth to eighteen years. J. Genet. Psychol. 1949; 75: 165-96.
8. Bornstein MH, Sigman MD. Continuity in mental development from infancy. Child Dev. 1986; 57: 251-74.
9. Drotar D. Implications of recent advances in neonatal and infant behavioural assessment. J. Dev. Behav. Pediatr. 1987; 8: 51-3.
10. Moncrieff AA, Koumides OP, Clayton BE, Patrick AG, Renwick AGC, Roberts GE. Lead Poisoning in Children. Arch. Dis. Child. 1964; 39: 1.
11. Bicknell J, Clayton BE, Delves HT. Lead in mentally retarded children. J. Ment. Defic. Rec. 1968; 12: 282-93.
12. de la Burde B, Choate MS. Early asymptomatic lead exposure and development at school age. J. Pediatr. 1975; 87: 638-42.
13. Wigg NR, Vimpani GV, McMichael AJ, Baghurst PA, Robertson EF, Roberts RJ. Port Pirie Cohort Study. Childhood blood lead and neuropsychological development at the age of two years. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 1988; 42: 213-19.
14. Bellinger D, Leviton A, Waternaux C, Needleman H, Rabinowitz M. Longitudinal analyses of prenatal and postnatal lead exposure and early cognitive development. N. Engl. J. Med. 1987; 316: 1037-43.
15. Bellinger D, Sloman J, Leviton A, Rabinowitz M, Needleman H, Waternaux C. Low-level lead exposure and children's cognitive function in the preschool years. Pediatrics 1991; 87: 219-27.
16. Bellinger D, Stiles K, Needleman H. Low-level lead exposure and academic achievement: A long-term follow-up study. Pediatrics 1992; 90: 855-61.
17. McMichael AJ, Baghurst PA, Wigg NR, Vimpani GV, Robertson EF, Roberts RJ. Port Pirie Cohort Study: Environmental exposure to lead and children's abilities at the age of four years. N. Engl. J. Med. 1988; 319: 468-75.
18. Baghurst P, McMichael AJ, Wigg NR et al. The Port Pirie Cohort Study. Environmental exposure to lead and children's intelligence at the age of seven years. N. Engl. J. Med. 1992; 327: 1279-84.
19. Cooney G, Bell A, Stavrou C. Low level exposure to lead and neurobehavioural development: The Sydney study at seven years. Proceedings of the Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment; 1991 Sept 16-19; Edinburgh.
20. Ernhart CB, Morrow-Tlucak M, Wolf AW, Super D, Drotar D. Low level lead exposure in the prenatal and early preschool periods: Intelligence prior to school entry. Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 1989; 11: 161-70.
21. Pocock SJ, Smith M, Baghurst P. Environmental lead and children's intelligence: A systematic review of the epidemiological evidence. BMJ 1994; 309: 1189-97.
22. Byers RK, Lord EE. Late effects of lead poisoning on mental development. Am. J. Dis. Child. 1943; 66: 471-94.
23. Weiner G. Varying Psychological sequelae of lead ingestion in children. Public Health Rep. 1970; 85: 1924.
24. McKhann CF, Vogt EC. Lead poisoning in children. JAMA 1933; 10: 1131-5.
25. Grant DN. Benign intracranial hypertension. Arch. Dis. Child. 1971; 46: 651-5.
26. Clayton BE. Lead: The relation of environment and experimental work. Br. Med. Bull. 1975; 31: 230-40.
27. Rutter M. Raised lead levels and impaired cognitive/behavioural functioning: A review of the evidence. Devel. Med. Child. Neurol. 1980 (Suppl); Feb (A2): 1-36.
28. Smith M, Delves T, Lansdown R, Clayton B, Graham P. The effects of lead exposure on urban children: The Institute of Child Health/Southampton Study. Dev. Med. Child. Neurol. 1983; 25: 1-54.
29. The Medical Research Council. The neurological effects of lead in children. A review of recent research 1979-83. Medical Research Council, London, 1984.
30. Christophers AJ. Environmental lead question. A point of view from Victoria. Med. J. Aust. 1980; 2: 300-4.
31. Cole JF. Letter to the Editor. N. Engl. J. Med. 1979; 30: 161-2.