If you think you or your child has been exposed to lead, see your health care provider or contact your local public health department.

Health care providers treat adults with lead levels greater than 45 mcg/dL of blood and children who can't tolerate the drug used in conventional chelation therapy most commonly with a chemical called calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Chelation therapy might be recommended for children with a blood level of 45 mcg/dL or greater and adults with high blood levels of lead or symptoms of lead poisoning. In this treatment, a medication given by mouth binds with the lead so that it's excreted in urine. Treating higher levelsįor more-severe cases, your doctor might recommend: Your local health department can recommend ways to identify and reduce lead in your home and community.įor children and adults with relatively low lead levels, simply avoiding exposure to lead might be enough to reduce blood lead levels. If you can't remove lead from your environment, you might be able to reduce the likelihood that it will cause problems.įor instance, sometimes it's better to seal in rather than remove old lead paint. The use of natural antidotes, which are easily available, affordable, and with little or no side effects compared to the classic metal chelators, is the focus of this review and suggested as cheaper options for developing nations in the treatment of heavy metal poisoning.Īntioxidants Chelators Developing nations Heavy metal toxicity Metabolic disease Public health.The first step in treating lead poisoning is to remove the source of the contamination. Metal chelators have some drawbacks such as redistribution of some heavy metals from other tissues to the brain thereby increasing its neurotoxicity, causing loss of essential metals such as copper and zinc as well as some serious adverse effects, e.g., hepatotoxicity. Chelation therapy has been the mainstay for treatment of heavy metal poisoning where the chelating agent binds metal ions to form complex ring-like structures called 'chelates' to enhance their elimination from the body. Developing nations are particularly at high risk and carry the highest burden of this hazard. The global burden of heavy metal especially mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium toxicities remains a significant public health challenge.

Lead poisoning antidote