Hernberg S
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Am J Ind Med. 2000 Sep;38(3):244-54. doi: 10.1002/1097-0274(200009)38:3<244::aid-ajim3>3.0.co;2-f.
Lead poisoning existed and was already known in Antiquity but was forgotten, at least in the literature, until the end of the Middle Ages, where it was mentioned sporadically. In the 19th century this disease, which reached epidemic dimensions during the period of industrialization, was "rediscovered." Several comprehensive clinical articles appeared in the literature. The clinical picture deepened during the beginning of the 20th century, and preventive efforts were started. However, the concept of poisoning remained strictly clinical. During the latter half of the 20th century a new concept emerged: subclinical and early forms became recognized as undesirable effects. This led to a substantial lowering of hygienic standards. Pediatric poisoning has also been a serious problem during the 20th century. After the 1920s, environmental pollution by lead caused by the introduction of tetraethyl lead in gasoline became an alarming public health problem. The use became restricted in the 1980s; its effects on blood lead levels are now evident. Today's research focuses on the effects of low exposure, often with the aim of defining noneffect levels for different types of effects.
铅中毒在古代就已存在且为人所知，但后来被遗忘了，至少在文献中是这样，直到中世纪末期才偶尔被提及。在19世纪，这种在工业化时期达到流行程度的疾病被“重新发现”。文献中出现了几篇全面的临床文章。20世纪初，临床症状变得更加清晰，预防工作也开始了。然而，中毒的概念仍然严格局限于临床范畴。20世纪后半叶出现了一个新的概念：亚临床和早期形式被认为是不良影响。这导致卫生标准大幅降低。儿童铅中毒在20世纪也是一个严重问题。20世纪20年代后，汽油中引入四乙基铅导致的铅环境污染成为一个令人担忧的公共卫生问题。20世纪80年代其使用受到限制；现在其对血铅水平的影响已很明显。当今的研究集中在低剂量接触的影响上，通常旨在确定不同类型影响的无效应水平。
