Almost one million children in the United States have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Childhood lead poisoning, though, is considered the most preventable environmental disease affecting young children. National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week aims to raise awareness about this serious health issue and the importance of screening at-risk children and to push to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in this country by the year 2010.Lead is a neurotoxic metallic element that the body can absorb mainly through the lungs and stomach. When too much lead builds up in the body, lead poisoning occurs. Lead poisoning develops after repeated exposures to substances containing small amounts of lead, such as paint chips, dust, soil or eating from lead-glazed dishes. If not treated, it can damage internal organs, like the kidneys, nervous system and brain. Lead poisoning is particularly dangerous during the critical development periods in infants and children under age 7. Lead poisoning can occur in children of all social and economic backgrounds, but the risk of exposure is higher in deteriorating inner-city neighborhoods. Children can also be exposed to lead dust when older homes are renovated. Since 1977, paints produced in the U.S. do not contain lead. Children under age 3 are especially at risk because they crawl or play at ground level.
Common Sources of Lead Exposure in Children
High-Amount Sources
- Lead-based paint chips, interior and exterior paint (before 1977)
- Old window glaze
Medium-Amount Sources
- Soil, especially in dense urban areas
- Dust and debris from older building renovation
Low-Amount Sources
- Drinking water
- Playground soil
- Household dust
Common Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Adults
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Heart failure
- Abdominal pain
- Gout
- Kidney failure
- High blood pressure
- Wrist or foot weakness
- Reproductive problems
- Anemia
Common Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Children
- Decreased appetite
- Stomach ache
- Sleeplessness
- Learning problems
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Tiredness
- Lowered I.Q.
- Anemia
Where Is Lead Found?
There are many ways in which humans are exposed to lead: through deteriorating paint and dust, air, drinking water, food, and contaminated soil. Airborne lead enters the body when you breathe or swallow lead particles or dust once it has settled. Lead can leach into drinking water from certain types of plumbing materials (lead pipes, copper pipes with lead solder, and brass faucets) and can also be found on walls, woodwork, and the outside of your home in the form of lead-based paint. Lead can be deposited on floors, windowsills, eating and playing surfaces, or in the dirt outside the home.
Ways to Reduce Lead Exposure
From the California Poison Control System
- Do not try to remove lead paint from your home yourself. Improper removal often makes the situation worse. Check with local health officials. To locate trained lead service providers, call (888) LEAD-LIST or visit the LeadListing Web site.
- Since lead can come from the solder or plumbing fixtures in your home, water from each faucet should be tested. Call the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 for information on laboratories certified to test for lead.
- Mop floors and wipe window ledges and other areas with soapy water. If available, tri-sodium phosphate or lead-specific cleaning products can be used.
- Keep the areas where children like to play as clean and dust free as possible.
- Keep children away from areas where paint is chipped or peeling. Stop children from chewing on windowsills or other painted surfaces.
- Make sure everyone washes their hands before meals, naptime, and bedtime.
- If your child’s bottle or pacifier falls on the floor, wash it before giving it back to your child.
- Wash toys, stuffed animals, and bedding regularly.
- Send children and pets to a relative’s or neighbor’s house if you plan to renovate your house. Infants, children, and pregnant women should not be in the home while renovations are under way. Exposure to lead dust is hazardous.
- If you are pregnant, take as much care to avoid exposing yourself to lead as you would for your child. Lead can pass through your body to your unborn baby and cause health problems.
- Do not let your children eat sand, dirt, or paint chips. Encourage your children to play in grassy areas of the yard or playground. Plant grass in areas where children play if possible. Make sure children remove and wipe their shoes and wash their hands whenever they come inside after playing outdoors.
- Try to make sure your children eat a balanced diet with plenty of foods that contain iron and calcium. A child who gets enough of these minerals will absorb less lead. Foods rich in iron include eggs; lean red meat; and beans, peas, and other legumes. Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are also recommended for their high calcium content.
- Do not store food or drink in containers made from crystal, because some crystal contains lead.
Who Should Be Tested for Possible Lead Poisoning?
- Children who are anemic.
- Children with learning or behavioral problems.
- Children who have been treated with foreign folk-medicines that contain high lead content.
- Children who have a sibling, housemate or playmate being followed or treated for an elevated lead level.
- Children who live in or regularly visit a house with peeling or chipping paint built before 1960. This also includes day-care, pre-school or the babysitter's house.
- Children living with an adult whose job or hobby involves exposure to lead. Lead dust can be brought home on the adult's clothes and contaminate a child's environment.
- Children living near environmental sources of lead, such as battery manufacturing plants, lead smelters, battery recycling plants or other lead industries.
Treating Lead Poisoning
Your physician can provide effective treatments to remove lead from your bloodstream. First, your blood is tested and, if the levels are too high, treatment is started. According to recent studies, a child's I.Q. could improve if blood lead levels are lowered by medical treatment.
