Prevalence of radiographic evidence of paint chip ingestion among children with moderate to severe lead poisoning, St Louis, Missouri, 1989 through 1990

Although experts once believed that ingesting chips of lead-based paint was the major cause of lead poisoning among children, conventional wisdom now holds that lead-contaminated dust and soil are the major routes of exposure. Data from a childhood lead-poisoning treatment clinic were examined to as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Pediatrics (Evanston) Vol. 89; no. 4; pp. 740 - 742
Main Authors:	MCELVAINE, M. D, DEUNGRIA, E. G, MATTE, T. D, COPLEY, C. G, BINDER, S
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elk Grove Village, IL American Academy of Pediatrics 01-04-1992
Subjects:	Acute Disease Biological and medical sciences Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases Child Confidence Intervals Diagnosis Health aspects Humans Lead Lead (Metal) Lead based paint Lead based paints Lead poisoning Lead Poisoning - diagnostic imaging Lead Poisoning - epidemiology Lead Poisoning - etiology Medical sciences Metals and various inorganic compounds Missouri - epidemiology Paint - poisoning Prevalence Radiography Radiography, Abdominal Toxicology Urban Population - statistics & numerical data Human Origin Radiography Radiodiagnosis Etiology Lead Poisoning Diagnosis Lead paint Inorganic element Child Ingestion
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Summary:	Although experts once believed that ingesting chips of lead-based paint was the major cause of lead poisoning among children, conventional wisdom now holds that lead-contaminated dust and soil are the major routes of exposure. Data from a childhood lead-poisoning treatment clinic were examined to assess the frequency with which children ingest paint chips. For this study, the reports on abdominal radiographs of 90 children with moderate to severe lead poisoning who had received their first chelation treatment during 1989 or 1990 were reviewed. According to a radiologist's evaluation, 13 of 90 abdominal radiographs (14%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 7% to 22%) showed evidence of paint chip ingestion. Of 46 children with blood lead levels greater than or equal to 55 micrograms/dL, 12 (26%) had radiographs that showed paint chips, whereas only 1 (2%) of 44 children with blood lead levels less than 55 micrograms/dL had such radiographs (prevalence ratio = 11.5; 95% CI 1.6 to 84.6). The actual proportion of children with moderate to severe lead poisoning who have consumed leaded-paint chips is likely to be higher than this estimate based on radiographic evidence. While lead-contaminated dust is a major source of lead exposure, ingestion of leaded-paint chips clearly remains an important source of exposure among children with moderate to severe lead poisoning.
ISSN:	0031-4005 1098-4275
DOI:	10.1542/peds.89.4.740