CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

[Guest guest]

March 2, 2006 9:34 p.m. EST

DOW JONES REPRINTS

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit:www.djreprints.com.• See a sample reprint in PDF format.• Order a reprint of this article now.

Start a FREEtrial of theOnline Journal

Subscribe toThe Print Journal

Free US Quotes:

Symbol

Name

Get FREE E-Mail by topic

Check Out our Mobile & Wireless Services

DIGEST OF EARNINGS

Details of the latest corporateearnings reported for FREE.

CDC Links Deaths to Lead Treatment

Associated PressMarch 2, 2006 9:34 p.m.

ATLANTA -- A drug that is sometimes used to treat lead poisoning -- and is also believed by some parents to be effective against autism -- caused the deaths of two children last year, the government said Thursday.

One youngster was autistic; the other had lead poisoning.

The deaths mark the first documented link between a chelation drug and cardiac arrest in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both children were treated with a product called Endrate.

CDC officials are also looking into the 2003 death of a 53-year-old woman in Oregon who was given chelation therapy by a practitioner of natural medicine.

Brown, chief of the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, said hospital pharmacies should consider whether stocking Endrate is necessary, given its risks and the availability of other treatments.

The maker of Endrate, Hospira Inc., had no immediate comment.

Chelating agents are chemical compounds, injected or given orally, that latch on to metals in the body and carry them out through urine or feces. Chelation is commonly used for lead poisoning.

Some doctors have used chelation to treat autism, believing mercury or other heavy metals cause the condition's symptoms. However, medical evidence does not support that belief, and the drug is not approved for that use, CDC officials said.

Copyright © 2006 Associated Press

*********************I never endorse anything or anyone. Opinions expressed in what I send out may not be shared by me. Everything that I send out is for informational purposes only.Thanks,Val Dodd-SarafYour partner in healthy living!www.JP4HealthyLife.comJuice Plus+ reduces oxidative stress, strengthens your immune system, reduces DNA damage, improves circulation, and reduces key risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.Have you taken you fruits and veggies today???