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Exposure to lead, as with other heavy metals, is detrimental to a variety of body systems. In addition, infant growth may be affected. Previous research has suggested that infants exposed to lead both prenatally and during infancy had poorer growth rates through the fifteenth month of life. To extend this research, the same group of infants were studied through 33 months of age. Of 260 infants originally studied, 235 children were still available for follow-up. Their heights were assessed to determine if both prenatal and postnatal lead exposure continued to influence growth rate. The actual height of the children at 33 months correlated significantly with height at 18 months. Blood lead concentration (PbB) correlated weakly with growth and height at 33 months in a way that suggested that early postnatal lead exposure was important. Thus, prenatal lead exposure did not directly predict height at 33 months, while lead exposure from 3 to 15 months after birth influenced stature and was related to lead exposure during the second and third years of life. Blood lead levels of 20 to 25 micrograms per deciliter were considered as possibly borderline for association with growth retardation. Surprisingly, children who were exposed to only low lead levels at 18 to 33 months of age and were previously exposed to high levels were taller than children who were exposed only to low lead levels, and this was attributed to a catch-up phenomenon occurring between 18 and 33 months. Children's stature was also significantly affected by their iron status and by maternal smoking. The report suggests that prenatal and early postnatal effects of lead on stature may be compensated for during a subsequent catch-up period if lead exposure is minimal during that period. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Stunted growth in children has long been associated with lead exposure. In recent years, exposure to lead has been found to interfere specifically with the attainment of normal stature (height). This aspect of asymptomatic lead exposure in children was examined in 260 infants who were followed from birth to age 15 months. The study subjects were from an area with a high incidence of lead poisoning. Lead levels in the body were assessed by measuring blood concentrations at three-month intervals. In addition, fetal lead exposure was determined by measuring the lead concentrations in the mothers' blood during pregnancy. It was found that high lead concentrations in the pregnant mothers were linked to high lead concentrations in the infants, and this had a detrimental effect upon the infants' growth. In general, children of mothers with higher prenatal blood lead concentrations had average growth that was approximately 2 centimeters (1 inch) less than normal stature at 15 months, if the infants continued to be exposed to lead from 3 to 15 months of age. It was also found that if lead exposure was avoided after birth, poor growth outcome would not necessarily follow prenatal lead exposure. The mechanism by which lead exposure influences growth is still unclear, and the duration of the effects of early exposure is not known. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Abstract: A survey of 157 college and university programs in the United States indicates that, during the ten-year period from 1967 through 1976, the number of people completing graduate programs in environmental health specialties at the master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels doubled. In 1974-75, 75 per cent of those completing master's degree programs were in the specialty areas of water pollution, air pollution, and occupational health; 76 per cent of those completing doctoral programs were in water pollution, toxicology, radiation protection, air pollution, and cancer research; and 61 per cent of those completing post-doctoral programs were in cancer research and toxicology. Including those whose current positions could not be ascertained, less than 10 per cent of all graduates accepted employment outside the field of environmental health. Funding for university environmental health research continued to increase throughout this ten-year period. The sources of this funding, however, changed dramatically, with the relative contributions from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare decreasing significantly, while those from industry and other federal agencies increased. In contrast, funding for university environmental health training increased significantly between 1966 and 1971, but showed no increase from 1971 to 1975. During this latter period, training support provided by HEW remained essentially constant, that by the Environmental Protection Agency decreased to less than half, while that from the universities approximately tripled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]