Postnatal lead exposure and early sensorimotor development.

The relationship between postnatal lead (Pb) exposure and early sensorimotor development was prospectively investigated in a group of infants born to parents residing in lead-hazardous areas of Cincinnati, Ohio. Few significant relationships were found between current or cumulative infant blood Pb levels and indices of sensorimotor development during the first year of life. When important developmental covariates such as birth weight and home environment were included in the analyses, no significant relationship between Pb exposure and development remained. To date, there appears to be no evidence in these data that postnatal low-level Pb exposure increases an infant's risk for delays in early sensorimotor development.