Succimer produced an immediate drop in blood lead levels of children in the study, cutting them 10 micrograms per deciliter right away and by 50 percent, on average, over six months. But its effects on behavior, intelligence and learning were no better than the placebo therapy, the researchers say. Three years after treatment, children who took the drug had IQs one point lower, on average, than those who didn't get treatment, and their behavior appeared to be worse, too. While children in the chelation group had a small edge over those on placebo in scores of learning ability, the differences didn't pass statistical muster. We went in the right direction with lead, and there's not even a hint of difference.
Chelation is expensive.
Succimer, for example, costs several hundred dollars per course, and in-hospital therapy is even pricier. And it's a niche treatment, since fewer than 40,000 children have blood lead levels between 20 and 45 micrograms per deciliter, Rogan says. Its utility is ever-shrinking, too, because of lead poisoning's dwindling threat in this country, he says. The Clinton Administration last year launched a multi-agency effort to control lead poisoning by targeting lead paint. The goal of that program is to eliminate lead hazards by the year 2010.