Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child’s health, including
damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems
.
What health issues does lead cause?
Exposure to high levels of lead may cause
anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage
. Very high lead exposure can cause death. Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system.
What does high lead levels cause in children?
High lead levels in the body can cause
problems with the brain, kidneys, and bone marrow
(soft tissue inside bones). Symptoms of high lead levels can include belly pain, headaches, vomiting, confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, hair loss or anemia (low red blood cell count).
How does lead affect the brain?
Lead exposure can have serious consequences for the health of children.
At high levels of exposure lead attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death
. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with intellectual disability and behavioural disorders.
What are signs of lead poisoning in a child?
- Developmental delay.
- Learning difficulties.
- Irritability.
- Loss of appetite.
- Weight loss.
- Sluggishness and fatigue.
- Abdominal pain.
- Vomiting.
How does lead poisoning account for the child’s symptoms?
If children are around items with a high level of lead, they won’t have lead poisoning symptoms right away. But when they do, symptoms include
stomach pain, headaches, vomiting, confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, hair loss, and anemia (a low red blood cell count)
.
How do I lower my toddler’s lead level?
- Step 1 – Regular Washing. Wash your child’s hands often with soap and water. …
- Step 2 – A Safer Home. Wet wash your home often – especially window sills and wells. …
- Step 3 – Eat Healthy Foods. Feed your child food that is high in calcium, iron and Vitamin C. …
- Step 4 – Medical Care.
What happens if your child tested positive for lead?
Lead can harm a child’s growth, behavior, and ability to learn
. The lower the test result, the better. Most lead poisoning occurs when children lick, swallow, or breathe in dust from old lead paint. Most homes built before 1978 have old lead paint, often under newer paint.
How does lead affect the environment?
Lead can remain in the environment as dust indefinitely.
The lead in fuels contribute to air pollution, especially in urban areas
. Soils near highways, freeways, and smelting facilities have higher levels of lead than soils in other areas because of their exposure to lead dust, which accumulates over time.
How does lead affect child development?
Exposure to lead can have a wide range of effects on a child’s development and behavior. Even when exposed to small amounts of lead levels,
children may appear inattentive, hyperactive, and irritable
. Children with greater lead levels may also have problems with learning and reading, delayed growth, and hearing loss.
Can lead cause behavior problems?
U.S. studies have reported that
lead exposure causes what psychologists call externalizing behavior problems
, such as aggressiveness and bullying, which may lead to truancy and even jail time as children get older.
Does lead affect children more than adults?
Lead is more dangerous to children than adults
because: They often put their hands and other objects in their mouths that can have lead dust on them. Their growing bodies absorb more lead. Their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
Does lead leave the body?
Lead stays in the body for different periods of time, depending on where it is.
Half of the lead in the blood will be excreted in 25 days
(this is called the “half-life”). In soft tissues, it takes 40 days for half of the lead to be excreted. In bones and teeth it takes much longer, up to 10 years or longer.
Can lead be removed from the body?
Treating lead poisoning
The damage lead causes cannot be reversed
, but there are medical treatments to reduce the amount of lead in the body. The most common is a process called chelation – a patient ingests a chemical that binds to lead, allowing it to be excreted from the body.
What foods are high in lead?
- Fruit juices: 89% of grape juice samples contained detectable levels of lead, mixed fruit (67%), apple (55%), and pear (45%)
- Root vegetables: Sweet potatoes (86%) and carrots (43%)
- Cookies: Arrowroot cookies (64%) and teething biscuits (47%)
Does lead dust stay in the air?
FALSE! Of course you can get lead poisoning from breathing in lead dust. But
when lead dust travels through the air, it settles in soil and water, and blows inside your home and even onto neighboring properties
. If you touch something that has lead dust on it and then put your hand to your mouth, you can ingest it.
How do you flush lead out of your body?
If lead levels in the blood are excessive, a procedure known as
chelation therapy
can help remove lead from the body. It involves either an oral or intravenous agent that binds to lead so that it can be cleared from the body in stool or urine.
Can high lead levels cause autism?
Despite some overlapping symptoms,
there is no convincing evidence that childhood lead poisoning causes ASD
; however, rare cases of misdiagnosis can occur. For example, a case was reported in which a child misdiagnosed with severe autism was found, instead, to suffer from chronic lead poisoning.
Is lead poisoning reversible?
Is lead poisoning curable?
The effects of lead poisoning aren’t reversible
. But you can reduce blood lead levels and prevent further exposure by finding and removing the sources of lead from your child’s home or environment.
How fast does lead poisoning happen?
Lead poisoning usually takes
months or years
of exposure to a small amount of lead at home, work or daycare. When exposed to large amounts of lead, it can quickly lead to lead poisoning (acute poisoning). Lead poisoning usually happens due to prolonged exposure at home, work or daycare.
