Aug. 20, 2012 -- New evidence that links low levels of lead in the blood to an increased risk of gout suggests that currently acceptable levels of lead exposure are too high.

In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers report that the risk of gout is apparently elevated even among adults whose blood lead levels are several times less than what the CDC considers acceptable.

“The point here is that there is no such thing as a safe lead level,” says researcher Eswar Krishnan, MD, an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Gout is a painful form of arthritis that's often related to a buildup of uric acid in joints, a condition called hyperuricemia. Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are known risk factors for gout.

But, Krishnan tells WebMD, such risk factors cannot explain every case. So he went looking for others. A review of the medical literature pointed him toward lead.

Krishnan says it's been known for some time that lead in the blood at concentrations greater than 80 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL), or eight times the acceptable level, is associated with hyperuricemia and gout. But he says that his own findings concerning much lower levels were unexpected.

"I honestly was expecting a negative result or an unimpressive one," he says. "What we found was very surprising."