Sensitivity of Erythrocyte Protoporphyrin as a Screening Test for Lead Poisoning

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In recognition of data indicating that exposure to lead may have adverse effects at blood lead concentrations well below 25 μg per deciliter (1.2 μmol per liter), new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lower the level necessitating intervention to 10 μg per deciliter (0.5 μmol per liter) and call for universal screening by direct measurement of blood lead.1 The screening test recommended by the 1985 guidelines2 — measurement of erythrocyte protoporphyrin (often measured as zinc protoporphyrin by hematofluorometry) — is thought to be insensitive if blood lead concentrations are below approximately 25 μg per deciliter, and is no longer recommended, yet it continues to be used widely to detect lead poisoning.3