After nearly a decade, radiologists at the Institute of Child Health (ICH) are dealing with a suspected case of lead poisoning.
A 10-month-old boy, Hariharan, was admitted to the children’s hospital attached to the ICH on June 1 with symptoms and is now undergoing treatment.
“It seems like a clear case of lead poisoning and is the first one in a decade. There is increased awareness on keeping painted toys and such articles out of the reach of children. We don’t know how the child could have ingested lead,” said B. Natarajan, assistant professor of radiology at the institute.
Hariharan was very sick and remained in intensive care for a week. He was moved to the ward on Saturday.
If blood tests confirm lead poisoning, Hariharan will be administered antidote. “He came with other problems and a routine x-ray led us to suspect lead poisoning. We are 99.9 per cent accurate in our diagnosis,” said Dr. Natarajan. The blood test results will come on Monday.