Key Facts
- Lead poisoning is the number one health threat to children in the United States.
- Children become poisoned when they breathe or swallow lead dust or eat soil or paint chips that contain lead.
- Lead attacks the brain and central nervous system causing attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, developmental delays and in severe cases, death.
- Children living in homes built before 1978 should be tested for lead poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children at risk be tested at 1 and 2 years of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends testing between 9 and 12 months and again at 24 months of age.
- A child at risk of lead poisoning who eats a balanced diet with foods containing iron and calcium will absorb less lead. Encourage children to eat a healthy diet.
- Professionals who suspect a child has been exposed to lead should see that the child is tested for lead poisoning.
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Health Effects of Children's Exposure
Over time, low-level exposure to lead can cause a range of health problems including permanent damage to the brain and nervous system.
- Children with even modest elevations of blood lead levels can exhibit attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities and developmental delays.
- One study suggests that lead exposure may be associated with juvenile delinquent behavior.
Children are considered to have lead poisoning if their blood lead level is above 10 micrograms per deciliter.
- This level is the subject of debate because no level of lead in the blood is safe.
Lead is more dangerous to children than adults because:
- Babies and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths and these objects can have lead dust on them.
- Children's growing bodies absorb more lead.
- Children's developing brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.
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Recognizing Symptoms of Lead Poisoning
In working with children, there may be certain physical signs and symptoms that may alert you to the possibility of lead poisoning. Children who have lead poisoning may exhibit the following symptoms:
- unusual irritability,
- poor appetite,
- stomach pains and vomiting,
- persistent constipation, and
- sluggishness or drowsiness.
But some victims may not show any symptoms until it is too late. Lead poisoning can result in permanent neurological damage or even death.
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