research has shown that exposure to lead may have adverse effects at different blood lead concentrations. lead inhibits at least two enzymes that are essential for the formation of heme, and because of the interaction of lead with these enzymes, no iron is inserted into protoporphyrin. therefore the concentration of protoporphyrin increases in erythrocytes. the concentration of lead was measure...

Review Article BioMedSciDirect Publications

BACKGROUND Surveys undertaken in South Africa have shown that a large proportion of children are exposed to lead from a variety of sources. OBJECTIVES The overall objective of this work was to examine, through a series of small-scale investigations, the role of lead-based paint in the blood lead distribution of South African children. DISCUSSION We suggest that the African public health com...

Broken Hill is a mining town located in the semi-arid region of western NSW. It is the site of one of the world’s richest deposits of silver, lead and zinc. Mining activities began here in 1883 and continue to the present time. In the early days, lead poisoning was a cause for concern but was primarily viewed as an occupational hazard. The evidence emerging in the 1980s describing the health ef...