Lead Poisoning

Lead is a toxic metal and can be very poisonous. Many old houses and toys contain lead-based paint and when a person is exposed to the paint for a long period of time, they can get lead poisoning. Young children are most vulnerable to this poisoning and the damage is irreversible. Many children are exposed to lead when they touch an object containing lead, and then put their fingers into their mouth. Lead is primarily harmful to children because their bodies are still developing. Getting lead poisoning from one single contact with lead is very uncommon, they poisoning develops over time. After a person has experienced extended exposure, symptoms will begin to emerge. Just some symptoms of lead poisoning include: abdominal pain, aggressive behavior, constipation, sleep problems, headaches, memory loss, kidney dysfunction, and anemia. Furthermore, in a child, the damage can become much worse. Lead can lead to a variety of intellectual disabilities. For example: behavioral problems, low IQs, poor academic grades, hearing problems, learning difficulties, and growth delays. Extreme cases can even result in seizures and comas.

Lead must be ingested in order to lead to lead poisoning, you cannot be poisoned by simply touching lead. However, inhaling dust that contains lead can be poisonous. Lead is dangerous because you cannot smell nor taste it. Lead used to be very common in the United States, until people discovered how harmful it could be. Although products containing lead are no longer produced, they can still be found all over the country, most commonly lead-based paint in old houses made before 1978. Other common sources of lead poisoning include: toys and household items painted before 1976 or painted outside of the United States, bullets, pipes and sink faucets, polluted soil, art supplies, jewelry, pottery, and lead figures. Pipes and sink faucets are a big red flag because they can contaminate drinking water.

Although all humans are at risk to lead poisoning, children are at the highest risk. This is because young children are more likely to put objects into their mouth without knowing what it is. This is alarming because children are also the ones most damaged if they are exposed to lead. To be diagnosed with lead poisoning, a blood test must be performed. If one is in fact diagnosed with lead poisoning, they must immediately be treated. The first step is removing the source of lead that has caused the problem. If symptoms are severe, hospitals will perform a procedure called chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is a chemical process where a synthetic solution is injected into contaminated blood to remove harmful metals from the body.

The United States recognizes the danger of lead, however, it is still an issue in every state. In 2014, 153,010 children under the age of six were tested for lead poisoning in Ohio. The majority of these cases were very small amount of micrograms per deciliter. For example, 5 μg/dL is when the contamination is considered a threat. Out of the 153,010 children tested in 2014, 145,859 children had less than 5 μg/dL. 3,298 children’s blood in Ohio contained 5-9 μg/dL. Furthermore, only 1,298 children tested greater than or equal to 10μg/dL. 3 percent of the total tested population had results of dangerous exposure. In Cuyahoga County, where I am from, 2,406 children had blood lead levels of 5-9μg/dL in 2012. 3.21 percent of the children tested in Cuyahoga County had elevated blood lead levels. Lead poisoning can be prevented once people begin to educate themselves on what objects are hazardous. Parents should throw out toys that were painted in foreign countries. Everyone should be sure to wash their hands before eating to prevent contaminating their food. Faucets are aerators should be cleaned regularly to ensure that the air is clean.