PEDIATRICS Vol. 88 No. 5 November 1991, pp. 886-892
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Shukla, R.
Right arrow Articles by Hammond, P. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Shukla, R.
Right arrow Articles by Hammond, P. B.

Lead Exposure and Growth in the Early Preschool Child: A Follow-up Report from the Cincinnati Lead Study

Rakesh Shukla PhD1, Kim N. Dietrich PhD1, Robert L Bornschein PhD1, Omer Berger MD2, and Paul B. Hammond DVM, PhD1

1 The Department of Environmental Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
2 The Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

This report is a follow-up of an earlier study of the effects of low to moderate prenatal and postnatal lead exposure on children's growth in stature. Two hundred thirty-five subjects were assessed every 3 months for lead exposure (blood lead level) and stature (recumbent length) up to 33 months of age. Fetal lead exposure was indexed by maternal blood lead level during pregnancy. The adverse effects of lead on growth during the first year of life were reported previously. This analysis covers essentially the second and third years of life. The results indicate that mean blood lead level during this period was negatively associated with attained height at 33 months of age (P = .002). This association was, however, evidenced only among those children who had mean blood lead levels greater than the cohort median (ge10.77 µg/dL) during the 3- to 15-month interval. The results also suggest that the effect of lead exposure (both in utero as well as during the first year of life) are transient provided that subsequent exposure to lead is not excessive. It appears that maintaining an average blood lead level of 25 µg/dL or more during the second and third year of life was detrimental to the child's attained stature at 33 months of age. Approximately 15% of this cohort experienced these levels of lead exposure. Continued follow-up of this cohort will reveal whether these lead-related deficits persist and whether they continue to be dependent on the level of exposure in an earlier period.

Key Words: lead toxicity • growth • stature • infant • follow-up

Submitted on July 30, 1990
Accepted on December 7, 1990




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 PediatricsHome page
M. Denham, L. M. Schell, G. Deane, M. V. Gallo, J. Ravenscroft, A. P. DeCaprio, and and the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment
Relationship of Lead, Mercury, Mirex, Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, Hexachlorobenzene, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls to Timing of Menarche Among Akwesasne Mohawk Girls
Pediatrics, February 1, 2005; 115(2): e127 - e134.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NEJMHome page
S. G. Selevan, D. C. Rice, K. A. Hogan, S. Y. Euling, A. Pfahles-Hutchens, and J. Bethel
Blood Lead Concentration and Delayed Puberty in Girls
N. Engl. J. Med., April 17, 2003; 348(16): 1527 - 1536.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
M. J. J. Ronis, J. Aronson, G. G. Gao, W. Hogue, R. A. Skinner, T. M. Badger, and C. K. Lumpkin Jr.
Skeletal Effects of Developmental Lead Exposure in Rats
Toxicol. Sci., August 1, 2001; 62(2): 321 - 329.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
T. Gonzalez-Cossio, K. E. Peterson, L.-H. Sanin, E. Fishbein, E. Palazuelos, A. Aro, M. Hernandez-Avila, and H. Hu
Decrease in Birth Weight in Relation to Maternal Bone-Lead Burden
Pediatrics, November 1, 1997; 100(5): 856 - 862.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]