MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012 Aug 3;61(30):574-6.
Lead is highly toxic and can damage the brain, kidneys, bone marrow, and other body systems; high levels can cause convulsions, coma, and death. Young children are especially susceptible to lead exposures because of their floor-hand-mouth activity, greater gut absorption, and developing central nervous systems. In June 2011, a male infant aged 6 months of Nigerian descent was referred to the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) at Boston Children's Hospital because of an elevated blood lead level (BLL). An investigation found no lead exposure except for "tiro," a Nigerian cosmetic that also is used as a folk remedy to promote visual development. The tiro applied to the infant's eyelids contained 82.6% lead. Products similar to tiro, such as "surma" and "kajal" in Asia and kohl in the Middle East, also might contain lead. This case adds to the medical literature documenting nonpaint lead sources as causes of elevated BLLs in children and highlights persons of certain immigrant populations as a risk group. Educational efforts are needed to inform immigrants from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East that tiro and similar products can cause lead poisoning in children. Health-care providers and public health workers should ask about eye cosmetics and folk remedies when seeking a source of exposure in children with elevated BLLs from certain immigrant populations.
铅是一种剧毒物质，可损害大脑、肾脏、骨髓和其他身体系统；高水平的铅可导致抽搐、昏迷和死亡。幼儿特别容易受到铅暴露的影响，因为他们会经常用手摸地板，而且肠道吸收能力更强，中枢神经系统也在发育中。2011 年 6 月，一名 6 个月大的尼日利亚裔男婴因血铅水平升高（BLL）而被转介到波士顿儿童医院儿科环境健康专科单位（PEHSU）。调查发现，除了“tiro”（一种尼日利亚化妆品，也被用作促进视觉发育的民间疗法）之外，没有铅暴露。涂在婴儿眼睑上的 tiro 含有 82.6%的铅。类似的 tiro 产品，如亚洲的“surma”和“kajal”，以及中东的 kohl，也可能含有铅。该病例增加了医学文献记载，证明非油漆铅源是导致儿童血铅水平升高的原因，并强调某些移民群体的人是高危人群。需要开展教育活动，告知来自非洲、亚洲和中东的移民，tiro 和类似产品会导致儿童铅中毒。在某些移民群体中，当遇到血铅水平升高的儿童时，医疗保健提供者和公共卫生工作者应询问眼部化妆品和民间疗法，以寻找暴露源。
