Familiar Alimentary Lead Poisoning Supposed to be of Professional Origin
Zs. Környei, Z. Mátray1, T. Kákosy, A. Hudák,
M. Náray
National Institute of Occupational Health, Budapest, Hungary
1 National Institute of Hematology, Bloodtransfusion and
Immunology, Budapest, Hungary
CEJOEM 1997, Vol.3. No.4.:328
A 18-year old female ceramic apprentice had a grave anemia caused by lead
poisoning. First professional origin was supposed, because the apprentices
made the glazing of ceramic tablewares with lead enamels too. The examination
of the other pupils showed only a mild increase of the lead resorption.
By searching for other causes of the serious intoxication it turned out
that as a Christmas present for her family the patient had made a glazed
ceramic teapot. The family stored tea with lemon in it. The concentration
of the lead in the tea exceeded 8 times the maximum allowable level used
in the USA. The examination of the patient’s mother also proved a grave
poisoning with colic and anemia. In spite of preferring beer to tea the
father had findings referring to high increased lead resorption too. The
intoxication proved to be alimentary, though the patient also had professional
lead exposure. The case history suggests also the need of warning people
to avoid using ceramic tablewares made by insufficient technology for alimentary
purposes. It seems also to be advisable to perform screening tests of the
ceramic apprentices using lead glazes in order to detect the eventual increased
resorption of lead in time.
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