South Korean scientists have developed a new technique for removing heavy metal particles like lead from the bloodstream. Such metals can build up in the blood over time and have serious health consequences. Using specially designed magnetic receptors that bind strongly to lead ions, the scientists were able to remove 96 percent of lead ions from contaminated blood samples. Hemodialysis is a procedure that purifies the blood of patients in renal(腎臓の)failure, and the scientists believe that a similar technique could be employed to clean the blood of people with heavy metal poisoning.