Richard said:
My high school chemistry teacher Mr. Samuel Perlmutter. He spent
20-30 years working as
a research chemist for the US Food and Drug Administration, before
spending much
of the rest of his life teaching honors chemistry to us brats. He
spent quite a
bit of time teaching us about the toxic risks of mercury, lead,
cadmium, and other
heavy metals. This was in the early 1970's. He won a number of
prestigious national
awards for his teaching. If you google, ["Samuel Perlmutter" award]
you can find
a shamefully tiny bit of information about him. Not much considering
the tremendous
boost he gave his many students.
Lack of any actual reference to ingestion-caused poisioning
noted.
Are you familiar with primary and secondary sources? Perlmutter was
both. He worked for a lab that did research on the physiological effects
of foods and food additives, and he was familiar with the research that
was done.
Here are some other primary sources:
Bleecker ML, et al. Differential effects of lead exposure on components of verbal memory. Occup Environ Med. 2005
Mar;62(3):181-7.
Chen A, Dietrick, KN, Ware, JH, et al. IQ and Blood Lead from 2 to 7 Years of Age: Are the Effects in Older Children
the Residual of High Blood Lead Concentrations in 2-Year-Olds? Environ Health Perspect. 2005 May;113(5):597-601.
Tong S, et al. Environmental Lead Exposure: A Public Health Problem of Global Dimensions. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;
78(9): 1068-77.
Wright RO, et al. Association between iron deficiency and blood lead level in a longitudinal analysis of children
followed in an urban primary care clinic. J Pediatr. 2003;142: 9–14.
1. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Cenus/surveillance data. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Department of
Health Services; Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program; 2006. Available at
http://lapublichealth.org/lead/reports/leaddata.htm.
2. CDC. Preventing lead poisoning in young children. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC;
2005. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/publications/prevleadpoisoning.pdf.
3. CDC. Lead poisoning from ingestion of a toy necklace---Oregon, 2003. MMWR 2004;53:509--11.
4. International Programme on Chemical Safety. Environmental health criteria 165: inorganic lead. Geneva,
Switzerland: United Nations Environment Programme, International Labour Organisation, World Health Organization; 1995.
Available at
http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc165.htm.
5. CDC. Blood lead levels, United States, 1999--2002. MMWR 2005;54:513--6.
6. Maas RP, Patch SC, Pandolfo TJ, Druhan JL, Gandy NF. Lead content and exposure from children's and adult's
jewelry products. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 2005;74:437--44.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (1988). The nature and extent of lead poisoning in children in the
United States: a report to Congress. Atlanta: USDHHS.
Centers for Disease Control. (1991). Preventing lead poisoning in young children. Atlanta: USDHHS, PHS.
Centers for Disease Control. (Undated flier). Important facts about childhood lead poisoning prevention. Atlanta:
USDHHS, PHS.
1. Childhood Lead Poisoning Facts-2002, Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), 2003. [Data adapted]
2. Blood Lead Testing in Michigan. 1994-2002 [Graph], MDCH, 2003
3. Unpublished 2002 Datafile, Kent County Health Department
4. Scott R, MDCH, Lansing Michigan, E-mail, May 30, 2003.
5. “Cognitive Impairment in Children with Blood Lead Concentrations below 10 ug per Deciliter.” Canfield RL et al. New
England Journal of Medicine. April, 2003: 348, 1517-26
6. Press Release, Pediatric Academic Societies. April 2001
7. A Strange Ignorance. Mike Martin. Arizona School Boards Association. Phoenix, AZ 2002.
8. “Cognitive Deficits Associated with Blood Lead Concentrations <10 ug/dl in U.S. Children and Adolescents.” Lanphear
BP et al. Public Health Reports. Nov/Dec 2000; 115: 521-529
9. “Early exposure to lead and juvenile delinquency.” Dietrich KN et al. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 2001; 23: 511-518.
10. “Childhood Exposure to Lead: A Common Cause of School Failure.” Needleman HL. Phi Delta Kappan. Sept. 1992
11. Personal Communication. Holtrop T. Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, December 10, 2002.
12. Personal Communication. Thompson L. Wayne State University , Detroit, Michigan, May 31, 2003
13. “Behavioral Effects of Lead: Commonalities between Experimental and Epidemiologic Data.” Rice CR. Environmental
Health Perspectives. 104, Supplement 2, April 1996 [Abstract].
14. “Risk Assessment of the Developmental Neurotoxicity of Lead.” Davis JM. NeuroToxicology. 1990; 11:285-292.
15. “Environmental Pollutants and Disease in American Children: Estimates of Morbidity, Mortality, and Costs for Lead
Poisoning, Asthma, Cancer, and Developmental Disabilities.” Landrigan PJ et al. Environmental Health Perspectives. July
2002: 110:721-72812 [Data Adapted: $43.4 Billion U.S. × 20,200 EBLL in MI ÷ 890,000 EBLL in U.S. = $0.985 Billion (MI)]
Intellectual Impairment and Blood Lead Levels
Bellinger D. C., Needleman H. L., Eden A. N., Donohoe M. T., Canfield R. L., Henderson C. R. Jr., Lanphear B. P.
Intellectual Impairment in Children with Blood Lead Concentrations below 10 µg per Deciliter
Richard L. Canfield, Ph.D., Charles R. Henderson, Jr., M.A., Deborah A. Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., Christopher Cox, Ph.D.,
Todd A. Jusko, B.S., and Bruce P. Lanphear, M.D., M.P.H.
http://azsba.org/leadepiwash.htm
How many references do you need?
Surely you don't think THAT argument holds any water?
Yes, I do. It is well known that the Romans used lead as a medicine,
as an additive to foods and drinks. In addition, they used lead as
a writing implement, for jewelry, for eating and cooking utensils, for
decorations, for plumbing, and numerous other purposes. They were well
steeped in both lead, and madness... but inspite of that the Romans did
not make the connection. Later generations did.
There is absolutely no indication that we have learned
ANYTHING. We are headed in exactly the same direction
and exceeding the historical speed limit, at that.
Huh?
-Chuck