Pegues D A, Hughes B J, Woernle C H
Division of Field Epidemiology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Ga.
Arch Intern Med. 1993 Jun 28;153(12):1501-4.
Whiskey produced in illegal stills (ie, "moonshine") remains an important and underappreciated source of lead toxicity in some rural counties of the Southeast. From March 5 through October 26, 1991, eight adult patients with elevated blood lead levels were identified at a rural county hospital in Alabama and were reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health notifiable disease surveillance system. A case-patient was defined as any person 17 years of age or more who presented to the hospital from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 1991, and had a blood lead level of 0.72 mumol/L or more (15 micrograms/dL or more). To identify cases and potential sources of lead exposure, we reviewed medical and laboratory records from the hospital, interviewed patients with elevated blood lead levels, and determined the lead content of moonshine samples. Nine patients met the case definition, including one patient who was not reported to the state. Patients ranged in age from 28 to 62 years; blood lead values ranged from 0.77 to 12.50 mumol/L (16 to 259 micrograms/dL). The most frequent signs of possible lead toxicity included seizures (six), microcytic anemia (five), and encephalopathy (two); one patient died. The only identified source of lead exposure for the nine patients was moonshine ingestion. Moonshine samples available from local stills contained sufficient amounts of lead (340 to 4600 mumol/L) to result in the observed blood lead levels. This investigation emphasizes the adverse health effects and ongoing public health impact of moonshine ingestion.
非法蒸馏器生产的威士忌（即“私酿威士忌”）在东南部一些农村县仍然是铅中毒的一个重要且未得到充分认识的来源。1991年3月5日至10月26日，阿拉巴马州一家农村县医院确诊了8名血铅水平升高的成年患者，并将其上报给阿拉巴马州公共卫生部法定疾病监测系统。病例患者定义为1990年1月1日至1991年12月31日期间前往该医院就诊、年龄在17岁及以上且血铅水平达到0.72微摩尔/升或更高（15微克/分升或更高）的任何人。为了确定病例和铅暴露的潜在来源，我们查阅了医院的医疗和实验室记录，对血铅水平升高的患者进行了访谈，并测定了私酿威士忌样品中的铅含量。9名患者符合病例定义，其中1名患者未上报给该州。患者年龄在28至62岁之间；血铅值在0.77至12.50微摩尔/升（16至259微克/分升）之间。可能的铅中毒最常见的体征包括癫痫发作（6例）、小细胞性贫血（5例）和脑病（2例）；1名患者死亡。这9名患者唯一确定的铅暴露源是饮用私酿威士忌。从当地蒸馏器获得的私酿威士忌样品含有足够量的铅（340至4600微摩尔/升），可导致观察到的血铅水平。这项调查强调了饮用私酿威士忌对健康的不良影响以及对公共卫生的持续影响。
