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The persistent threat of lead: a singular opportunity.

H L Needleman

School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Recent data have demonstrated health effects of lead in children at doses previously believed to be harmless. Data from epidemiological studies in many countries, and from experimental studies of animals given lead, demonstrate psychological impairment at blood lead concentrations of 0.5-0.7 mumol/L. Current estimates are that 17 per cent of American children (3-4 million) exceed the level of 0.7 mumol/L. Lead exposure is not a problem for urban poor children alone, but inner-city minorities have a higher rate of exposure. The overabundance of lead coexists in the same area with two serious shortages: affordable housing and jobs. It is argued that a program to train unemployed inner-city residents in safe de-leading, while expensive, makes hygienic, economic, and common sense.

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