Asymptomatic Children With Venous Lead Levels > 100 µg/dL
1 Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Baltimore, MD 21205
Childhood lead poisoning is a preventable condition that may result in significant developmental disabilities and multi-organ involvement. Past research has shown that long-term neurocognitive deficits can result from lead exposure during the first few years of life.1 In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that blood lead screening be instituted for all children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years, because subtle morbidity has been documented in children with levels as low as 10 µg/dL.2 Critics of universal screening cite limited health care resources, parental anxiety, and the invasive nature of screening as reasons to modify the current CDC recommendations.3
Submitted on August 21, 1995Accepted on December 21, 1995




