Metal Exposure in the Children of Punjab, India

Our test results documented that hair and urine mineral analysis results support each other. This is of interest, because hair analysis evaluates past exposure while urine analysis detects immediate exposure. We evaluated barium, cadmium, manganese, lead and uranium in hair and urine. Our test results indicate that all of the children show evidence of past and immediate exposure to one or more metals. Hair mineral test results for the 114 children aged 12 and younger showed some type of toxic metal exposure for each one of the children; 88% exceeded the uranium reference range for hair. This indicates past and chronic exposure. After renal evaluation, 55 children aged 3–12 years who passed certain criteria were selected for urine baseline testing. Urine baseline concentrations are a direct reflection of immediate exposure. Of the 55 children, 47 showed elevated urine concentrations for one or more of the toxins listed above, demonstrating immediate exposure. DMSA is recommended as an oral antidote for lead and other metals. We selected 55 children aged 3–12 for a DMSA (Dimercapto succinic acid) urine challenge test. Our results showed that 98% of this group showed lead concentrations above the baseline level, demonstrating lead binding and excretion. The DMSA challenge did not affect barium, cadmium, manganese and uranium, suggesting that for these elements, DMSA may not be the chelating agent of choice. In summary, hair and urine mineral testing demonstrated that chronic and immediate toxic exposure had affected our test group of Punjabi children. The DMSA challenge test was effective in detoxifying lead, but did not affect barium, cadmium, manganese or uranium.

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Posted by Carin S. Smit - 18:41,August 14, 2010

“Over the past 6 years I have seen patients in several countries who have been tested for heavy metal toxicity. Except for the 100 children in Punjab whose hair analyses exceeded reference ranges for hair, another 37 patients in 5 other countries yielded test results that exceeded the reference ranges for uranium, for the respective tests. The country with the highest number of individuals exceeding the references ranges for uranium in hair, baseline urine samples and post-DMSA chelation samples was South Africa - showing past and chronic exposure. I counted 17 patients in South Africa with excessive uranium levels, 6 of whom have a diagnosis of autism (i.e. 35%). 4 Neuro-typical adults also had excessive uranium - all four had significant health challenges. 4 Children with severe learning disabilities and 3 with neurological damage (blind, oral apraxia, brain injury due to hypoxia) also had excessive uranium levels. In Ireland 6 patients showed excessive uranium - of these 6 individuals, 3 have a diagnosis of autism (50%, one with significant Learning disabilities and 2 are neuro-typical adults with health challenges. Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf, had 9 patients which excessive uranium levels. 7 of these have a diagnosis of autism (77%), 2 are neuro-typical adults with health challenges and one is both autistic and has an inborn error of metabolism (genetic abnormality). In Botswana 2 patients had excessive levels of uranium - one an LD child and one a neuro-typical adult. In South Korea 3 patients from one family in Daejeon tested high in uranium - one neuro-typical teenager, one neuro-typical adult and one teenager with psychiatric challenges due to Tamiflu medication during a bout of swine flu. Excessive uranium was most commonly found in mineral hair test results (27 tests (55%)- some patients were tested repeatedly over several years). The Post DMSA chelation urine test yielded the next highest excessive uranium results (13/49) and the baseline urine samples least often showed excessive uranium (9/49). It would seem, from my experience with these 137 patients in 6 countries, that hair mineral tests are the most valuable measure to detect past and chronic exposure to excessive uranium. Though DMSA didn't effectively chelate barium, cadmium, manganese or uranium in the Indian study, it chelated uranium on 13 of the 49 tests done across the population in South Africa, Ireland, Bahrain, Botswana and South Korea (26.5%). Along with uranium, aluminium, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, cesium, mercury, palladium, platinum, nickel, lead, silver, thallium, tin, titanium, tungsten and zirconium were successfully chelated by means of DMSA. Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Nickel and Palladium were by far the most successfully chelated toxic metals by means of DMSA across all 47 tests. Carin S. Smit - C/CMT - South Africa - Synapse Africa Neuro-Nutritional Clinic - carinsmit@eircom.net”

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