To :  Ruth Wilson
Re : Lead

In response to a question concerning an infant whose blood lead level was
9.

Testing for blood lead levels is highly variable. Many health departments
use the finger-stick method.  I can tell you from experience,  that finger
stick samples are useful,  but highly erronious.  Many finger-stick samples
that return with high levels, are subsequently found to be absolutely
normal following phlebotomy testing.  In other words,  it would be a good
idea to get the child retested by removing a blood sample from an
intravenous phlebotomy and sending it rather than the lousy finger stick
sample.

Tom Hale