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Healthy
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Get the Lead Out
*Lead, Symbol Pb, A soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets, radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds.
*Lead, Symbol Pb, a powerful neurotoxic element that damages nerve tissue, especially in young children.
Two definitions--both are correct. The dangers of lead were underestimated for many years; and it was used in many products. Lead is one of the most serious environmental health danger for young children in our country.
Serious lead poisoning in children causes symptoms such as stomach ache, vomiting, hearing loss, diarrhea, anemia, and sometimes convulsions, coma and death. Mild lead poisoning can produce learning difficulty, lowered intelligence, anemia, possibly hyperactivity, and slowed growth, among other problems. The symptoms of less severe poisoning by lead can be overlooked, and go unrecognized as signs of poisoning.
The danger is real. Recent research indicates that no amount of lead in the body is completely safe. The accepted standard is 10 micrograms per deciliter--or 10 millionths of a gram in one-tenth of a liter! Smaller quantities cannot be reliably determined using currently available methods; however, effects on children have been found when exposed to at lower concentrations.
The greatest risk for lead poisoning is in the first two years of life because lead is more readily absorbed by the body at that age, the child’s developing brain cells are more vulnerable, and organs that can help detoxify are underdeveloped.
Lead Sources
Until 1978, house paint contained significant amounts of lead, which improved the quality of the paint. In that year, the government forbade the use of lead in house paint. Nevertheless, paint is still a leading source of lead poisoning in children. In buildings built before 1978, the old paint may still be at or close to the surface, and it may be flaking. Children can ingest leaded paint by using their mouths on walls and other surfaces or gnawing on windowsills. Also, this old paint may become “chalky;” and lead may be released into the air as dust.
Another leading source of lead is the soil. Soil near a roadway is particularly problematic; exhaust emissions from cars using leaded gasoline settle into the ground and remain absorbed into the soil for many years. The lead in soil become hazardous not only as dust, but also when children put things in their mouths. Hand-to-mouth activities and crawling makes young children more vulnerable. Sucking dirty fingers, or eating with dirty hands, can be a source of lead poisoning.
Soil also can be contaminated near houses built before 1978, with years of tiny flaking paint chips collected on the ground. The chips remain in the ground for years, slowly releasing lead into the surrounding dirt.
Do you know what businesses previously occupied the area where your childcare facility now stands? Garages and vehicle repair shops? They leave their mark in the form of lead in the dirt. Even the casual mechanic who tinkered with his car in the shade of a tree on weekends is a culprit--small repair facilities can significantly affect the quality of the soil. And of course, junkyards are notorious sources for environmental lead.
The word “plumber” comes from the Latin word for lead, because of the custom of using lead pipes to carry water. Lead pipes have been largely replaced by copper and plastic. However, lead pipes still exist and are a source of lead contaminant in water. Also, plumbing solder once contained lead. While solder with lead is now illegal, it still exists in some plumbing systems.
There are other, less likely sources of lead poisoning. Some imported toys are painted with lead-containing paint. Imported pottery and ceramic ware often contain lead.
Minimize Lead Contact
You can take some important steps to minimize the hazard:
- Clean hands! Children’s hands should be washed often, with soap in running water, particularly before naps and meals.
- Be sure that all painted surfaces are well coated. Deteriorating painted surfaces should be cleaned and repainted. Old lead-painted surfaces pose little hazard if the old paint is covered well with new paint.
- Dust well and change vacuum cleaner bags frequently. Clean painted surfaces at least weekly with warm water and cleanser. Thoroughly wash and rinse sponges. Keep floors clean and clean mop heads well after every use.
- Start with cold water for cooking. It is less likely to contain lead. Let water run 30 seconds before use if it has been a few hours since the tap was turned on so any lead that may have accumulated can be washed away.
- If possible, get your soil tested for lead. Again, call the local or state health department for advice. If there is lead in the soil, arrange to have it covered with a layer of “clean” dirt, and then sod.
Children and Lead
It is estimated that more than one million children have serious amounts of lead in their systems. This number has come down, fortunately, from its higher incidence a few years ago, when lead-containing paint and leaded gasoline were widespread. Many experts recommend that all children be checked for lead at one or two years of age. Further testing may be planned according to the results. Often “hotspots” of lead poisoning are found in communities with old housing stock (often low-income communities) or where garages or lead smelters once stood. State and local health departments have both responsibility for and expertise in identifying and removing these hazards.
Any child with unexplained anemia, learning difficulties, behavior disorder, growth retardation, and/or a number of other indications should be examined for lead poisoning. Testing for lead involves a simple blood test. Information about testing can be obtained from physicians or your local Health Department.
Treatment for lead poisoning is complex and not wholly satisfactory because any damage done cannot be completely undone, even after the blood lead level is reduced by treatment with certain medications.
Don Palmer, MD
Alabama Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
INTERNET RESOURCES
The National Lead Information Center, 422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620 800-424-LEAD (5323); www.epa.gov/lead/nlic.htm
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, 4470 Buford Hwy (Mail stop F-30), Atlanta, GA 30341; 770-488-3300; www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/lead.htm
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