Lead poisoning continues to present a major public health concern.
Despite efforts to discontinue the use of lead in gasoline and paint, lead from other, sometimes unusual, sources continues to cause problems. Lead is especially toxic in children because the blood-brain barrier has not completely formed. This case study will be used to discuss biochemical toxicology, and specifically the mechanisms of toxicity of inorganic compounds. Lead poisoning is interesting not only from a societal standpoint, in that children exposed to lead do poorly in school, have diminished attention span and problems learning, but also from a medical standpoint, in how lead causes toxicity. You will each be given a unique article from the recent medical literature.