Succimer (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)) treatment of Andean children with environmental lead exposure

The authors studied children in Andean villages contaminated by a lead-glazing cottage industry. Mean blood lead (PbB) level in 35 exposed children, aged 3-14 years, a year before treatment, at the time of initiation of a comprehensive lead education and prevention program, was 53.4 μg/dL. PbB levels immediately before and three weeks after a ten-day regimen of succimer treatment of the 35 children were 43.4 μg/dL and 34.3 μg/dL, respectively, showing a 21% reduction and a significant difference between means (t = 5.09, p = 0.0001). PbB levels of the same children a year before treatment and immediately pre-treatment were also significantly different (t = 10.59, p = 0.0001). Thus, a ten-clay course of succimer chelation effectively reduced PbB in children with moderate to severe Pb intoxication, and the education and prevention program, initiated with parents, health care providers, and educators, also contributed significantly to reducing PbB.