Delayed visual maturation and lead pollution

Three children were born in the Broken Hill Australia lead mining community with delayed visual maturation of the optic nerve (blindness) within a period of 19 months. Because of the association with the lead pollution, the delayed visual maturation was attributed to lead exposure of the fetus during pregnancy. Lead isotopic analyses of the shed deciduous teeth from the three children demonstrate that they were not exposed to increased levels of lead from a mining or any other source during pregnancy and the etiology of the delayed visual maturation must be sought elsewhere.