[Does lead contribute to the pathogenesis of spine disease?].

Statistical data of a public insurance office of West Germany show a drastic increase of the carriage impairments in juveniles. A plausible explanation of this phenomenon is presented by the lead quantities in auto exhaust. Present levels of environmentall lead produce a measurable biochemical alteration in the population of industrialized countries (inhibition of the activity of the enzyme ALAD). By disturbing the synthesis of nucleics acids and porteins lead impairs fundamental processes of life. Epidemiological and biochemical evidence for an influence of lead on the vertebral column and its diseases are brought forward.