Lead is Harmful to your Health and especially Children |
About
one in eleven children in America
have high levels of lead in their blood, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. You may have lead in and around
your house without knowing it because you can't see, taste, or smell
lead. You may have lead in the dust, paint, or soil or in your drinking
water or food. Because it does not break down naturally, lead can
remain a problem until it is removed.
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The
long term effects of lead in a child can be severe. They include
learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired
hearing, and brain damage. If caught early, these
effects can be limited by reducing exposure to lead or by medical
treatment. If you are pregnant, avoid exposing yourself to lead.
Lead can pass through your body to your baby .
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In previous discussions with Gary Jones
(past Director Indoor Air Lead Branch Division of Community
Environmental Protection, State of Alabama Department of Public Health)
it was stated that on the average, FIVE lead poisoning incidents are reported to the State Department of Public Health each month and that is just in the state of Alabama.
Paint
used in homes prior to 1960 could have been painted with
paint containing concentrations of lead up to 50% by weight.
Lead was removed from paint in 1978. Before 31
December 1995 it was legal to sell for use in on-road vehicles
gasoline which contained lead or lead additives which also found its way into our environment.
If
lead is ingested, adults will absorb approximately 10% and pass on the
rest. CHILDREN on the other hand will absorb up to 50% and since their
body mass is much less than an adult the same amount absorbed will have
a greater impact on children. Remember that a crawling
infant will have a far greater exposure to any dust (lead or
otherwise) then an adult
wearing shoes and socks who spend less time on the carpet.
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How Much Lead Does It Take?
Not very much ... The generally accepted definition of lead poisioning is:
No greater than 10 micro grams per deciliter of blood in children under 6.
Here's an easy way to visualize it.
- A deciliter is about 1/2 of a cup.
- A packet of low calorie sweetener (pink or blue stuff) is 1 gram.
- There are one million micro grams in a gram.
- So, divide the contents of just one packet into a million piles.
- Now, discard them all but 10 "piles" of remaining dust.
- Mix the 10 micro grams into that half cup.
That's roughly how much lead it takes to poison a child. It is
not a question of paint chips but rather paint dust. Obviously,
body size and age play a role, but - as you can see - it doesn't take
much!
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Sites with information on Lead and Lead Poisoning
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