Sodium calcium edetate
Chelating agent used to treat lead poisoning since 1953.
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Sodium calcium edetate (sodium calcium EDTA), also known as edetate calcium disodium, is a medication primarily used to treat lead poisoning, including both short-term and long-term lead poisoning. It is a chelating agent that works by binding to heavy metals, rendering them almost inert and allowing them to leave the body in the urine. Sodium calcium edetate came into medical use in the United States in 1953 and is listed on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
Background
Sodium calcium edetate is a salt of edetate with two sodium atoms and one calcium atom. It belongs to the chelating agent family of medication. Its primary medical use is to treat lead poisoning, for which it is an alternative to succimer.
The medication is given by slow injection into a vein or into a muscle. For lead encephalopathy, it is typically used together with dimercaprol. It may also be used to treat plutonium poisoning, but does not appear to be useful for poisoning by tetra-ethyl lead.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sodium calcium edetate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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