Abstract
Urinary excretion of lead following administration of calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is widely employed as an index of the body lead burden. In our experience, as well as that of others, the relationship of blood lead to that removed in the EDTA mobilization test has been imprecise. In an attempt to identify the variables multiple factors were examined in 117 lead mobilization tests conducted in 110 patients. Variables included: age, hemoglobin, free erythrocyte porphyrin (FEP), serum iron, blood lead, and urinary lead excretion expressed as μg urine lead per mg of EDTA administered (Pb/EDTA). Analysis indicates that mobilization results can be best predicted from the blood lead and serum iron values (r = .79; F = 96.5, p & z.Lt;.001). The multiple correlation equation is:
The multiple correlation equation indicates that urinary lead excretion is greater with either greater blood lead or serum iron, or both. Correlations with lead alone (r = 0.67), iron (0.65), or FEP (0.19) were not as great as the combination of lead and iron. The enhancement of lead excretion in the presence of normal, or increased serum iron concentrations suggests that iron and lead share similar binding sites and that iron displaces lead from these sites making it more available for chelation.
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Post, E., Levin, M. & Oskl, F. 378 THE INFLUENCE OF IRON ON LEAD MOBILIZATION BY EDTA. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 426 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00383
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00383
