Narrator: This is Science Today. The primary treatment for lead
poisoning in children is a process known as chelation.
Toxicologist Donald Smith of the University of California, Santa
Cruz, says the most common drug used in chelation therapy is
succimer, which is administered either by injection or taken
orally. Smith: And this drug acts essentially like a sponge and
it binds the metal, lead in this case, and makes it in a form
that can be readily eliminated from the body, usually via the
urine. Narrator: But a recent study by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences has raised new questions about the
effectiveness of the drug, since findings suggested succimer -
which is expensive and has the potential for serious side
effects - did not appear to protect children from the learning
disabilities and behavioral problems associated with lead
exposure. Smith: Part of that question is whether lead toxicity
or lead exposure at certain ages creates a permanent level of
toxicity or something that can b