I found a good number of animal studies (some abstracts below) which show statistically significant reduction of lead levels achieved through adding garlic extract to food supply.

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Effect of garlic (Allium sativum L.) extract on tissue lead level in rats

Laboratory of Comparative System of Medicine, Division of Medicine, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, 243 122 U.P. India

Received 25 September 2000; revised 20 March 2001; accepted 3 April 2001. Available online 5 July 2001.

http://bit.ly/4qSjaR

Abstract
The prophylactic efficacy of garlic (Allium sativum L.) extract to reduce tissue lead (Pb) concentration was evaluated experimentally in rats. Thirty female rats were divided into five groups, keeping group A as a healthy control. Rats of groups B, C, D and E received lead acetate orally at the rate of 5 mg per kg body weight daily for 6 weeks. The garlic extract was tried in three doses, viz. 100 (low), 200 (medium) and 400 mg (high) per kg body weight orally and given simultaneously with lead salt to the rats of group C, D and E, respectively. Mean blood lead concentrations in lead-exposed rats ranged between 0.13±0.02 and 0.96±0.06 μg/ml, whereas in garlic-treated rats, the range was between 0.16±0.01 and 0.80±0.05; 0.13±0.01 and 0.71±0.06 and 0.14±0.01 and 0.60±0.05 μg per ml in low, medium and high dose groups, respectively. The mean lead concentration in liver, kidneys, brain and bone of lead exposed rats was 2.943±0.206, 4.780±0.609, 1.019±0.100 and 44.075±2.60 μg per ml, respectively. Concomitant use of garlic extract at the three different doses was found to reduce lead concentration considerably indicating the potential therapeutic activity of garlic against lead.

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Effect of garlic on lead contents in chicken tissues.
Hanafy MS, Shalaby SM, el-Fouly MA, Abd el-Aziz MI, Soliman FA.
Dept. Vet. Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1994 Apr;101(4):157-8.
Links

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8205968

Lead has been indicted to be involved in the aetiology of human and animal diseases. In view of earlier literature indicating that garlic antagonized lead toxicity, we have investigated the possible use of garlic feeding to clean up lead contents from chickens which had been exposed to natural or experimental lead pollution and consequently eliminate one of the sources of lead pollution to human consumers. Groups of chickens (10 birds each) were given lead alone (lead acetate equivalent to 5 mg lead/kg B.W.) or both lead and garlic simultaneously or lead followed by garlic post-treatment or garlic alone or distilled water. Lead concentrations were reduced in muscle and liver tissues of chickens given both lead and garlic simultaneously or as a post-treatment. Reduction in tissue-lead concentrations were greater in birds given garlic as a post-treatment than those given garlic simultaneously with lead. The results indicate that garlic contain chelating compounds capable of enhancing elimination of lead. Garlic feeding can be exploited to safeguard human consumers by minimizing lead concentrations in meat of food animals which had been grown in a lead polluted environment.

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EFFECT OF GARLIC AND VITAMIN B-COMPLEX IN LEAD ACETATE INDUCED TOXICITIES IN MICE
MSH Khan, M Mostofa, MS Jahan, MA Sayed, MA Hossain

http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/BJVM/article/viewArticle/2337

ABSTRACT

The experiment was performed on 25 adult mice, (Swiss albino), weighing about 25 gm, maintained on standard pellet diet and drinking water ad libitum. All the mice were randomly divided into five equal groups (5×5). Each group comprised of five mice was marked as group A, B, C, D and E. In the present study an attempt has been taken to study the effect of Garlic and vitamin B-complex in lead induced toxicities in mice with the observation of some parameters as toxic signs and body weight, some haematological parameters like total erythrocyte count (TEC), total leukocyte count (TLC), haemoglobin content (Hb%) and Packed cell volume (PCV), some biochemical parameters such as serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase SGPT/ALT, Serum glutamate Oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT/AST) and postmortem changes in mice. An attempt was also made to estimate the residual deposition of lead in body tissues i.e. blood, liver, kidney, brain and bone in mice. Mice treated with lead acetate showed severe toxic signs and significantly reduced total erythrocyte count, total leukocyte count, haemoglobin content and packed cell volume and significant elevation of SGPT and SGOT. But in case of mice treated by lead acetate along with Garlic and vitamin B-complex showed almost normal levels of haematological and biochemical parameters. From this experiment it is revealed that Garlic and vitamin B-complex has protective and curative effect in lead toxicity. The mean body weight of mice of group B (only lead acetate) was significantly (p Garlic > Vitamin Bcomplex.
Key words: Garlic, vitamin B-complex, lead acetate, mice Â
doi: 10.3329/bjvm.v6i2.2337
Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2008). 6 (2): 203-210

Interestingly, CDC says nothing about garlic, but does recommend iron, calcium and vitamin C supplements with seemingly poor scientific backup for efficacy.

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Managing Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Young Children: Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
Chapter 4 – Nutritional Assessment and Interventions

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/CaseManagement/caseManage_chap4.htm

Nutritional measures have not yet been proven to have a clinically important impact on elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) in children. However, children with EBLLs are often at risk for poor nutrition, and their caregivers should receive nutritional counseling to help these children obtain a well-balanced and age-appropriate diet.
Assessment

Test children at risk for anemia (e.g., those from low income, migrant, or recently arrived refugee families, or those qualifying for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children [WIC]).
Between ages 9 and 12 months
6 months later
Annually from ages 2 to 5 years
Evaluate the diet of children at risk for anemia, paying particular attention to dietary iron, vitamin C, and calcium.
Interventions

Evaluate the WIC eligibility of children with EBLLs and ensure their access to this program if eligible.
Advise caregivers to provide children with an adequate intake of iron-containing foods. Recommend that they:
Introduce pureed meats as soon as the child is developmentally
ready.
Provide one serving of lean red meat per day to older children.
Provide supplements only under the supervision of a physician or nutritionist and only when anemia or iron deficiency is documented.
Encourage caregivers to provide children with adequate intake of vitamin C-containing foods. Recommend that they:
Provide two servings of fruit juices or fruits per day.
Provide supplements only under the supervision of a physician or nutritionist.
Encourage caregivers to provide children with adequate intake of calcium (500 mg/day @ 1-3 years; 800 mg/day @ 4-8 years). Recommend that they:
Provide two servings per day of dairy products or other calcium-rich foods.
Provide supplements only under the supervision of a physician or nutritionist.
Always keep recommended interventions within the ability of the caregiver to implement them.

Bob in AZ

I’m pretty aware of lead as an issue, as my child was identified with elevated lead levels here in NYC, happily well before the level was “high”. For that reason, I’m really intrigued as well by the garlic study referred by Phoenix Woman; I’d never heard of that and looked pretty heavily into various ways of “getting the lead out”. I’ll do more research on that and try to share what I find.

Is there a threshhold for drinking…
Does it have to be a certain level, or is ALL drinking bad?

One overlooked problem with the Roman ruling class is that the marriages were dynastic, so inbreeding produced some very troubling characters (see: Caligula, Nero). The combo of neurotoxins plus an inbred gene pool produced some genuinely disastrous offspring.

However, many of the worst toxins seem to have been related to mining (especially in Spain, which was the center of silver mining for the Romans). The leaching mining residues appear to have damaged Roman-era groundwater supplies.

One of my hopes for health care reform is to put more energy toward wellness and better monitoring of toxins; I’ve never heard of Blue Cross or Wellpoint lobbying Congress for lead reduction, nor for lowering noise levels near freeways. Nor have the ‘health insurance companies’ ever seemed to ask a single question about what has been leaking into America’s water supplies.

The corporate health care model is driven by profit delivery to Wall Street and shareholders. That economic model will never, ever address underlying issues of pollutants and their impacts on long term public health. And on the justice system.

Studies have also shown that people who have been affected in this way are a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population.

I was involved in research on these issues for about 10 years.

References supplied on request.

Bob in AZ

At one time – about 30 years ago during the ‘get the lead out of the paint’ movement – it was posited that the Fall of the Roman Empire was due, in large part, to lead used in women’s make-up.

Lead was said to have reduced birth-rates among the well-to-do, and, as a consequence, to have opened the door to civic participation by the violent rabble.

Yes, and don’t forget that “Grecian Formula” hair treatment goes back to the same times, IIRC. The active ingredient in this product is lead-based. I don’t know if Grecian Formula has been proven “Safe and effective” by appropriate testing by a Federal agency, but I stopped using it when I learned that it was lead-based.

Bob in AZ
PS I blame any errors in this comment on Grecian Formula