Lead Poisoning: A Real and Present Danger

In addition to your child's immunizations, you need to be aware of the dangers of lead poisoning and how you can keep you and your child safe.

Lead poisoning is caused by swallowing or breathing in something that has lead in it. If not treated, lead poisoning can cause serious and permanent health problems for children and adults. Children with lead poisoning may have learning and behavioral problems as well as lo wered IQ.

One of the most common places lead is found is in the dust from chipped or peeling paint, especially in homes built before 1978. Children are often poisoned by eating the dust and chewing on surfaces covered with lead paint. Other ways children are exposed to lead include:

• playing with foreign-made toys
• home remedies using lead
• playing with and/or wearing jewelry that contains lead
• playing in dirt that contains lead gas or lead paint

Lead poisoning is sometimes hard to detect because symptoms may be slight or mistaken for something else. If lead levels are too high, your child will have:

• learning problems
• behavior problems
• lowered IQ
• nausea and vomiting
• stomach aches, cramping, diarrhea, or constipation
• constant tiredness
• muscle weakness
• tooth decay

If lead levels are very high, your child may experience severe symptoms such as:

• seizures
• unconsciousness
• paralysis
• swelling of the brain

If your child experiences any of these symptoms, you should seek medical help immediately.

The best ways you can keep your child safe from lead poisoning are:

• live in a lead-safe home
• have your child's blood tested at 1 year, 2 years, and as recommended by your doctor
• keep child away from peeling paint
• wash your hands and your child's after being outside and before eating
• wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them
• feed your child a balanced diet that is high in iron and calcium
• clean floors and furniture often with a clean, damp cloth
• wash toys in warm, soapy water once a week
• keep away from, and repair, peeling paint; do this in a lead-safe way

Call the Monroe County Health Department's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (585) 274-6087 for help on repairing paint.

For more information on how you can keep you and your child lead-safe:

• Talk to your doctor
• Visit Preferred Care's online Health Encyclopedia for more information about lead poisoning
• Visit the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning's Web site at www.leadsafeby2010.org