Lead poisoning in children and neurological symptoms

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i14.36031

Keywords:

Child; Lead poisoning; Neurologic manifestations.

Abstract

Introduction: Lead poisoning in children is a recurring public health problem in several parts of the world, leading to numerous neurological problems in children. Objective: To compile findings from studies that describe neurological symptoms in children exposed to this metal, thus providing a basis for researchers and public policy makers with the intention of guiding future actions on the subject. Methods: A narrative review of the literature was carried out with a systematic search for articles on the subject, from January 2007 to March 2022, in the SciELO, MedLine, LILACS and PsycInfo databases. Results: It was possible to observe the relationship between lead poisoning in children and the presence of neurological symptoms, with effects identified in the blood concentration from 2µg/dL to the highest concentration of 706µg/dL. Conclusion: Lead poisoning in children is a worrying reality due to the seriousness of its sequelae. Children who live near facilities that use lead as a raw material have greater exposure, may become intoxicated and develop more severe symptoms. In view of the analyzed studies, there is a lack of research that appreciates the Brazilian socio-environmental reality; for that, it is necessary to encourage trials that address this situation.

References

Atkins, P., Jones, L., & Laverman, L. (2018). Principles of Chemistry: Questioning Modern Life and the Environment. Bookman.

Beckwith, T.J., Dietrich, N.K., Wright, J.P., Altaye, M., & Cecil, K.M. (2018). Reduced Regional Volumes Associated with Total Psychopathy Scores in an Adult Population with Childhood Lead Exposure. Neurotoxicology, 67, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2018.04.004

Bouftini, S., Bahhou, J., Lelievre, B., La Barca, J.M.C., Turcant, A., Diquet, B., ... Achour, S. (2015). Screening for Childhood Lead Poisoning in the Industrial Region of Fez, Morocco. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 63, 442-450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0108-5

Brubaker, C.J., Dietrich, K.N., Lanphear, B.P., & Cecil, KM. (2010). The influence of age of lead exposure on adult gray matter volume. Neurotoxicology, 31, 259-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2010.03.004

Cai, H., Xu, X., Zhang, Y., Cong, X., Lu, X., & Huo, X. (2019). Elevated lead levels from e-waste exposure are linked to sensory integration difficulties in preschool children. Neurotoxicology, 71, 150-158. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.01.004

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health Effects of Lead Exposure. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/health-effects.htm

Cecil, K.M., Brubaker, C.J., Adler, C.M., Dietrich, K.N., Altaye, M., Egelhoff, J.C, ... Lanphear, B.P. (2008). Decreased brain volume in adults with childhood lead exposure. PLoS Medicine. 2008; 5, e112. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050112

Chen, A., Cai, B., Dietrich, K.N., Radcliffe, J., & Rogan, W.J. (2007). Lead exposure, IQ, and behavior in urban 5- to 7-year-olds: Does lead affect behavior only by lowering IQ? Pediatrics, 119, e650-e658. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1973

Cury, R.G., Marin, J.H., & Lopez, W.O.C. (2017). Lead poisoning: Myoclonus following welding exposure. Acta Médica Portuguesa, 30, 889. https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.9398

Dascanio, D., Del Prette, Z.A.P., Rodrigues, O.M.P.R., & Del Prette, A. (2016). Infant lead poisoning: a health and public policy issue. Psicologia em Revista, 22, 90-111. https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1678-9523.2016V22N1P90

Duan, Y., Shi, H., & Jiang, Y. (2021). The Blood Lead Levels of Children and the Loss of Ca2+ from Neurons Owing to Lead. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 1205. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212051

Estrada-Sánchez, D., Ericson, B., Juárez-Pérez, C.A., Aguilar-Madrid, G., Hernández, L., Gualtero, S., & Caravanos, J. (2017). Intelligence quotient loss in Mexican pottery artisan’s children. Revista Médica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, 55, 292-299.

Gahyva, D.L.C., Crenitte, P.A.P., Caldana, ML., Hage, S.R.V. (2008). Characterization of language disorders in children with a history of lead poisoning. Pró-Fono Revista de Atualização Científica, 20, 55-60. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-56872008000100010

Galvão, T.F., & Pansani, T.S.A. (2015). Principais itens para relatar Revisões sistemáticas e Meta-análises: A recomendação PRISMA. Revista Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, 24, 335-342. https://doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742015000200017

Greig, J., Thurtle, N., Cooney, L., Ariti, C., Ahmed, A.O., Ashagre, T., … Dargan, P.I. (2014) Association of blood lead level with neurological features in 972 children affected by an acute severe lead poisoning outbreak in zamfara state, Northern Nigeria. PLoS ONE, 9, e93716. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093716

Governo do Brasil. (2020). NR 7 – Programa de controle médico de saúde ocupacional – PCMSO. https://www.gov.br/trabalho-e-previdencia/pt-br/composicao/orgaos-especificos/secretaria-de-trabalho/inspecao/seguranca-e-saude-no-trabalho/normas-regulamentadoras/nr-07_atualizada_2020.pdf.

Holzbach, J.C., Barros, E.I.T.M., Krauser, M.O, & Leal, P.V.B. (2012). Chumbo: Uma introdução à extração e a fitorremediação. Journal of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, 3, 178-183. https://doi.org/10.20873/jbb.uft.cemaf.v3n4.holzbach

Hou, S., Yuan, L., Jin, P., Ding, B., Qin, N., Li, L., ... Deng, Y. (2013). A clinical study of the effects of lead poisoning on the intelligence and neurobehavioral abilities of children. Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4682-10-13

Kachani, A.T, & Cordahts, T.A. (2009). From opera-snitch to nosological chaos: pica. Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo), 36, 162-169. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-60832009000400006

Keshri, S., Goel, A.K., & Garg, A.K. (2021). Reversal of Acuete Lead Encephalopathy in a Child. Cureus, 13, e15155. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.15155

Lanphear, B.P, Lowry J.A, Ahdoot, S., Baum, C.R., Bernstein, A.S., Bole, A., … Trasande, L. (2016). Prevention of Childhood Lead Toxicity. Pediatrics, 138, e20161493. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1493

Leung, A.K.C., & Hon, K.L. (2019). Pica: A Common Condition that is Commonly Missed - An Update Review. Current Pediatric Reviews, 15, 164-169. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573396315666190313163530

Liu, J., Xu, X., Wu, K., Piao, Z., Huang, J., Guo, Y., … Huo, X. (2011). Association between lead exposure from electronic waste recycling and child temperament alterations. Neurotoxicology, 32, 458-464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2011.03.012

Mavropoulos, E. (1999). A hidroxiapatita como removedora de chumbo. [Tese de Mestrado, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz]. ARCA – Repositório Institucional da Fiocruz. https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/5315

Meirelles, H.L. (1981). Direito municipal brasileiro (4th ed). Revista dos Tribunais.

Moodie, S., Ialongo, N., López, P., Rosado, J., García-Vargas, G., Ronquillo, D., & Kordas, K. (2013). The conjoint influence of home enriched environment and lead exposure on children's cognition and behaviour in a Mexican lead smelter community. Neurotoxicology, 34, 33-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2012.10.004

Moreira, F.R., & Moreira, J.C. (2004). The effects of lead on the human body and its meaning for health. Pan-American Magazine of Public Health, 15, 119-129. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49892004000200007

Mostafa, G.A., El-Shahawi, H.H., & Mokhtar, A. (2009). Blood lead levels in Egyptian children from high and low lead-polluted areas: Impact on cognitive function. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 120, 30-37. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0404.2009.01155.x

Mota, K.C.O., Pedroso, V.C.M., Rocha, G.H.O., Grotto, D., Barioni, É.D., & Oliveira, R.T.D. (2021). Effects of lead poisoning in children - A narrative review. Research, Society and Development, 10, e37410716616. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i7.16616

Nagpal, A.G., & Brodie, S.E. (2009). Supranormal electroretinogram in a 10-year-old girl with lead toxicity. Documents Ophthalmologica, 118, 163-166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-008-9144-7

Organização Mundial da Saúde. (2010). Childhood Lead Posoning. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/childhood-lead-poisoning

Organização Mundial da Saúde. (2021). Lead poisoning [Fact Sheet]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health#:~:text=Lead%20exposure%20can%20have%20serious,intellectual%20disability%20and%20behavioural%20disorders.

Palaniappan, K., Roy, A., Balakrishnan, K., Gopalakrishnan, L., Mukherjee, B., Hu, H., & Bellinger, D.C. (2011). Lead exposure and visual-motor abilities in children from Chennai, India. Neurotoxicology, 32, 465-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2011.03.011

Paoliello, M.M.B, & Chasin, A.A.M. (2001). Ecotoxicologia do chumbo e seus compostos. Cadernos de Referência Ambiental – Governo da Bahia.

Prada, S.M., & Oliveira, C.E.S. (2010). A importância do chumbo na História. Química Viva. https://www.crq4.org.br/a_importancia_do_chumbo_na_historia

Rebelo, F.M., & Caldas, E.D. (2016). Arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium: Toxicity, levels in breast milk and the risks for breastfed infants. Environmental research, 151, 671-688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2016.08.027

Sahu, J.K., Sharma, S., Kamate, M., Kumar, A., Gulati, S., Kabra, M., & Kalra, V. (2010). Lead encephalopathy in an infant mimicking a neurometabolic disorder. Journal of Child Neurology, 25, 390-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073809338625

Talbot, A., Lippiatt, C., & Tantry, A. (2018). Lead in a case of encephalopathy. BMJ Case Reports, n.d. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2017-222388

Thomason, E.M., Hect, L.J., Rauh, V.A. Trentacosta, C., Wheelock, M.D., Eggebrecht A.T., ... Burt, S.A. (2019). Prenatal lead exposure impacts cross-hemispheric and long-range connectivity in the human fetal brain. NeuroImage, 191, 186-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.017

Toto, M., Giacomo, A., Petruzzelli, M.G., Dicuonzo, F., Santoro, N., Del Vecchio G.C., ... Margari, L. (2012). Guillain-Barré-like syndrome in a child with lead poisoning. Neuropediatrics, 43, 217-220. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0032-1321981

UNICEF & Pure Earth. (2020). The Toxic Truth: Children's Exposure to Lead Pollution Undermines a Generation of Future Potential. https://www.unicef.org/reports/toxic-truth-childrens-exposure-to-lead-pollution-2020

Wright, J.P., Lanphear, B.P., Dietrich, K.N., Bolger, M., Tully, L., Cecil, K.M., & Sacarellos, C. (2021). Developmental lead exposure and adult criminal behavior: A 30-year prospective birth cohort study. Neurotoxicology and teratology, 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2021.106960

Zahran, S., Mielke, H.W., Weiler, S., Berry, K.J., & Gonzales, C. (2009). Children's blood lead and standardized test performance response as indicators of neurotoxicity in metropolitan New Orleans elementary schools. Neurotoxicology. 30, 888-897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2009.07.017

Published

23/10/2022

How to Cite

PILON, G. D. .; MACHADO, L. M. F. .; BARROS, P. M. de .; BARIONI , Éric D. .; ROCHA, G. H. O. da; OLIVEIRA, R. T. D. de . Lead poisoning in children and neurological symptoms. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 14, p. e161111436031, 2022. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v11i14.36031. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/36031. Acesso em: 26 dec. 2024.

Issue

Section

Review Article