[Parallel determination of blood lead levels and clinical investigation of children with surgical diseases in an endangered area (author's transl)].

In an industrial area with heavy metal-processing industry investigations were made on 203 children with surgical diseases, questioning whether there is a correlation between blood lead level on one hand, and kind of disease, season of year, load by lead fall-out in the residence on the other hand. A correlation between blood lead level and amount of lead fall-out in the residence of the patients could not be proved.--Seasonal changes did not influence the height of the average blood lead level.--Stress situations like operations and serious diseases had no significant influence either. Parallel determination of 139 blood samples in two institutes showed essential differences in the individual results.--Conclusions of earlier investigators in the same industrial area could not be proved in essential items as mentioned above.