Health News
Information on Lead Poisoning
By Emily Leone RN, MSN, Health Consultant with Child Care Council
Recently high quality toys made by Mattel and the Thomas the Tank series have been recalled due to the discovery that paint contaminated with lead was used on these products and can therefore poison children. This event has brought the lead poisoning issue out of the inner cities and placed this important safety hazard in plain sight.
Child Care programs and parents are justifiably concerned and want to know what they can do about this health hazard. First, caregivers should arm themselves with information about how and where lead can be found, how to prevent lead exposure, how to protect children, how lead affects children’s health, and how to determine if a child is at risk.
Where can children be exposed to lead? Lead is a common metal and was used in house paints and gasoline prior to the 1980s. The lead gets into the children’s body from eating paint chips, soil, or dust that is contaminated or from mouthing objects that have lead contamination. Children and adults can also breathe lead contaminated particles during home renovation or while doing hobbies. As we have recently discovered, some toys manufactured outside the United States also contain lead.
How do I protect children? Children under 6 are at the greatest risk so you must ensure that they avoid exposure to lead through environmental controls, cleaning, and diet. This can be done by avoiding environments where lead is present such as older houses under renovation or in poor repair, soil in areas with heavy traffic, and removing toys that have been recalled.
Cleaning and hand-washing also remove lead that could be ingested. Frequently washing children’s hands will reduce lead exposure. This is especially important before meals and for children who put their hands in their mouths. Washing toys, especially mouthed toys, damp cleaning surfaces, and damp mopping floors will also reduce the amount of lead in the environment.
If you are unsure if the environment a child lives in or spends time in is contaminated with lead, contact your local Health Department for assistance in evaluating the risk. If you are unsure if a toy is safe, remove it from the child until its safety can be evaluated.
Eating nutritious meals that are low in saturated fats is also protective. High fat meals improve the absorption of lead in the digestive tract. Children who do not get sufficient iron, calcium, and zinc in their diets are also at risk because lead can mimic these elements. Children do not need supplements, just a well balanced diet.
Making infant formula with cold tap water can greatly reduce lead exposure if the home or day care has lead water pipes.
How does lead affect children’s health? Children are more susceptible than adults to the harmful effects of lead because their nervous systems and brains are still developing. Lead levels over 10mcg/dl have been shown to damage children’s brains and nervous systems leading to learning and behavior problems like ADHD. Lead can also cause hearing problems, slowed growth, anemia, and kidney failure at higher levels. New research strongly suggests a relationship between relatively low lead levels and behavior changes that lead to school problems, incarceration, and violence.
How do you determine a child is at risk? Unfortunately, until lead levels are very high it is difficult to recognize the symptoms of lead poisoning until after damage has occurred. That is why lead screening is recommended for at risk children by one year and at 24 months of age. If you are concerned that a child has been exposed to lead through the environment or by a toy with contaminated paint, talk with the child’s pediatrician about a lead screening test.
By Emily Leone RN, MSN, Health Consultant with Child Care Council
Recently high quality toys made by Mattel and the Thomas the Tank series have been recalled due to the discovery that paint contaminated with lead was used on these products and can therefore poison children. This event has brought the lead poisoning issue out of the inner cities and placed this important safety hazard in plain sight.
Child Care programs and parents are justifiably concerned and want to know what they can do about this health hazard. First, caregivers should arm themselves with information about how and where lead can be found, how to prevent lead exposure, how to protect children, how lead affects children’s health, and how to determine if a child is at risk.
Where can children be exposed to lead? Lead is a common metal and was used in house paints and gasoline prior to the 1980s. The lead gets into the children’s body from eating paint chips, soil, or dust that is contaminated or from mouthing objects that have lead contamination. Children and adults can also breathe lead contaminated particles during home renovation or while doing hobbies. As we have recently discovered, some toys manufactured outside the United States also contain lead.
How do I protect children? Children under 6 are at the greatest risk so you must ensure that they avoid exposure to lead through environmental controls, cleaning, and diet. This can be done by avoiding environments where lead is present such as older houses under renovation or in poor repair, soil in areas with heavy traffic, and removing toys that have been recalled.
Cleaning and hand-washing also remove lead that could be ingested. Frequently washing children’s hands will reduce lead exposure. This is especially important before meals and for children who put their hands in their mouths. Washing toys, especially mouthed toys, damp cleaning surfaces, and damp mopping floors will also reduce the amount of lead in the environment.
If you are unsure if the environment a child lives in or spends time in is contaminated with lead, contact your local Health Department for assistance in evaluating the risk. If you are unsure if a toy is safe, remove it from the child until its safety can be evaluated.
Eating nutritious meals that are low in saturated fats is also protective. High fat meals improve the absorption of lead in the digestive tract. Children who do not get sufficient iron, calcium, and zinc in their diets are also at risk because lead can mimic these elements. Children do not need supplements, just a well balanced diet.
Making infant formula with cold tap water can greatly reduce lead exposure if the home or day care has lead water pipes.
How does lead affect children’s health? Children are more susceptible than adults to the harmful effects of lead because their nervous systems and brains are still developing. Lead levels over 10mcg/dl have been shown to damage children’s brains and nervous systems leading to learning and behavior problems like ADHD. Lead can also cause hearing problems, slowed growth, anemia, and kidney failure at higher levels. New research strongly suggests a relationship between relatively low lead levels and behavior changes that lead to school problems, incarceration, and violence.
How do you determine a child is at risk? Unfortunately, until lead levels are very high it is difficult to recognize the symptoms of lead poisoning until after damage has occurred. That is why lead screening is recommended for at risk children by one year and at 24 months of age. If you are concerned that a child has been exposed to lead through the environment or by a toy with contaminated paint, talk with the child’s pediatrician about a lead screening test.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Journal of Public Health 2003;93.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."