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 . Lead paint or dust are not the only ways lead exposure can occur in children.
How much lead can harm a child?
There is no safe lead level. The lead level of 5 μg/dL or higher is concerning, but recent studies show that even low levels of lead are harmful and are associated with lower IQ, impaired growth and development, and impaired hearing.
Is lead poisoning still a problem for children?
Lead Poisoning is a Persistent – and Preventable – Health Risk . It’s estimated that 535,000 preschool-age children across the United States have blood lead levels warranting medical management.
What health issues does lead cause?
- Damage to the brain and nervous system.
- Slowed growth and development.
- Learning and behavior problems.
- Hearing and speech problems.
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.
What if my child has high lead levels?
If your child’s blood lead level is very high, your doctor will treat your child with medicine to lower the amount of lead in the blood . If one or more of your children has high blood lead levels, your doctor will call your local health department.
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 the symptoms of lead poisoning in a child?
- Cramps.
- Hyperactivity (restlessness, fidgeting and talking too much).
- Learning problems.
- Changes in behavior.
- Headaches.
- Vomiting.
- Fatigue.
- Anemia (not enough hemoglobin in their blood).
How does lead affect the endocrine system?
Although evidence is conflicting, it has been reported that accumulation of lead affects the majority of the endocrine glands. In particular, it appears to have an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis causing blunted TSH, GH, and FSH/LH responses to TRH, GHRH, and GnRH stimulation , respectively.
What is the effect of lead?
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 is lead CDC?
CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is dedicated to reducing childhood lead poisoning as a public health problem through strengthening blood lead testing, reporting, and surveillance, linking exposed children to recommended services, and targeted population-based interventions .
What are uses of lead?
Lead is still widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation protection and in some solders . It is often used to store corrosive liquids.
What are some fun facts about lead?
- Lead has atomic number 82, which means each lead atom has 82 protons. ...
- Lead is a considered a basic metal or post-transition metal. ...
- Lead is one of the metals that was known to ancient man. ...
- Over half the lead produced today is used in lead-acid car batteries. ...
- Lead is highly toxic.
How is lead being controlled?
Lead is a pollutant regulated by many laws administered by EPA, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992Exit Exit EPA website (Title X), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ...
How does lead become airborne?
For example, an older window or door, with years of paint layers, can produce lead dust just from ordinary opening and closing. The window sills collect lead dust which can be spread simply by opening the window. When walls are demolished during a renovation , lead dust is created and becomes airborne.
How do I lower my child’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 foods contain lead?
Lead was most commonly found in the following baby foods types: 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 does lead poisoning affect behavior?
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.
