I. Beese

Bio: I. Beese is an academic researcher from Aarhus Municipality. The author has contributed to research in topics: Environmental exposure. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 19 citations.

Neuropsychological Profile of Children in Relation to Dentine Lead Level and Socioeconomic Group

Abstract: The adverse effects of lead intoxication on neuropsychological development were first systematically studied by Byers and Lord (1943) in their follow-up of 20 children who had been hospitalized previously because of lead intoxication. They reported that 19 of the children later made unsatisfactory progress in school, presumably due to sensorimotor deficits, short attention span, and behavioural disorders. Since that time, many studies have assessed cognitive and behavioural variables in children with varying degrees of low- level lead exposure. Some studies have reported general intellectual or specific cognitive impairment among affected children (de la Burde and Choate, 1972, 1975; Perino and Ernhart, 1974; Landrigan et al, 1975; Needleman et al, 1979; Thatcher et al, 1983; Winneker et al, 1982a, b; Yule et al, 1981; Shapiro and Marecek, 1984), while others have failed to replicate these findings (Kotok et al, 1977; Lansdown et al, 1974; McNeil et al, 1975; Ernhart et al, 1981 and Smith et al, 1983). Rutter (1980) pointed out that the interpretation of a number of these studies is obscured by methodological limitations, including inadequate markers of exposure to lead, insensitive measures of performance, bias in selection of subjects and inadequate handling of confounding covariates.

Environmental, occupational, and personal factors related to the prevalence of sick building syndrome in the general population.

Abstract: Possible relations between prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) and environmental, occupational, and personal factors were studied in a random sample (0.1%) of the general population aged 20-65 in a three county region in middle Sweden. Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke from smoking mothers and a childhood in urban areas was related to SBS symptoms. Current urban residency, fresh paint, and preschool children in the dwelling were also related to symptoms. Other residential factors such as age of building, type of building, degree of crowding, mechanical ventilation, or signs of moisture or mould growth were not related to symptoms. Other factors related to symptoms were history of atopy, allergy to nickel, proneness to infection, hyperreactivity, static electricity, work with video display units (VDU), work satisfaction, and climate of cooperation at work. Age, sex, marital state, education level, work stress, obesity, current or earlier smoking, regular physical exercise, or occupational exposure to chemicals did not correlate with symptoms. Women had a higher proportion of symptoms than men but these differences were not significant when adjusting for differences in allergy to nickel, hyperreactivity, and proneness to infection. Maternal smoking was related to a twofold increase of both atopy and allergy to nickel in the adult offspring. Eye symptoms were most common in administrative, managerial, and service work. Airway symptoms were most common in transport and communication work. Dermal symptoms were most common in professional and technical and related work. General symptoms were most common in service, health, hospital, and social work. The lowest prevalence of symptoms was found in agricultural, forestry, and sales work. Women and subjects allergic to nickel worked more often in occupations without exposure to chemicals, but no evidence was found for selection mechanisms causing sensitive persons to move from exposed to unexposed occupations. It was concluded that symptoms included in SBS are common in the general population, and of multifactorial origin related to both personal, occupational, and residential factors, and certain environmental exposures such as maternal smoking, the urban environment, VDU work, and volatile organic hydrocarbons from newly painted dwellings.

Gastro-Intestinal Absorption of Lead in Children and Adults: Overview of Biological and Biophysico-Chemical Aspects

Abstract: Intake and uptake of lead in the general population is mainly via the gastro-intestinal (Gl) tract. Those biological and biophysico-chemical factors operating in the Gl tract are the main determinants of Pb bioavailability. They include sites of Pb uptake, the physiology of uptake/transport to blood, the stage of development, interactions of Pb with nutrients, and Gl biochemical transformations of ingested material. Lead uptake occurs as ion or complex, from micelles and perhaps by pinocytosis in the infant. Uptake is mainly via the duodenum but other sites can participate, e.g. ileum (pinocytosis) and colon. Transport to blood is by active, carrier-mediated transport and passive diffusion. Uptake may include movement through intercellular tight junctions.Lead uptake is affected by nutrients in the Gl tract, operating synergistically or antagonistically. Iron and calcium interactions are most important and augment those also occurring in vivo in tissues.Liberation of lead from diverse ingested med...

History of lead exposure in children revealed from isotopic analyses of teeth.

Abstract: A pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of using high precision lead isotopes as an indicator of previous lead exposure in children was undertaken on deciduous teeth from 10 children in a lead-mining city. The present study illustrates the applicability of the method and provides data from two subjects who had different exposure to lead during early childhood. Teeth were examined by slicing the crowns into upper and lower sections and/or by selective dissolution with different mineral acids. Different exposures to mine lead and other sources, such as food, water, air (gasoline), are readily detected in any tooth from an individual.