Peripheral smear from a 3-year-old with history of pica who had a hemoglobin of 9.5 g/dL. RBCs are normochromic/normocytic but polychromatophilic cells are markedly hypochromic and contain multiple coarse basophilic granules. The coarse basophilic stippling is most prominent in the younger (poly-chromatophilic)RBCs, a typical finding in lead intoxication.