Turlock Journal Staff Writer

July 18, 2000

This week, July 16 to July 22, is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The week is designed to promote lead testing as a means of preventing lead poisoning in children.

Lead poisoning is a very real threat, especially to children, with nearly 890,000 U.S. children ages one to five having high levels of lead in their blood.

"This is a very dangerous disease that mainly affects children," said Linda Burk, the Coordinator of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. "The thing about lead poisoning is that it is more preventable than treatable. It is really important to get tested."

With lead poisoning, the body mistakes lead for calcium when ingested. The lead then attaches itself to enzymes and disrupts them, causing malfunctions in the brain and other cells. The body never breaks the lead down into smaller, manageable substances because lead is a heavy element and does not biodegrade.

Lead poisoning is contracted through either the consumption or inhalation of lead. Lead dust can be carried on clothes or hands and transmitted that way. High levels of the metal in the blood stream can lead to severe illness.

Symptoms of lead poisoning include headaches, irritability, abdominal pain, vomiting, anemia, weight loss, poor attention span, noticeable learning difficulty, slowed speech development and hyperactivity.

Lead can be stored in bones for up to 20 years. This can lead to long term problems including reading and learning disabilities, speech and language handicaps, lowered I.Q., neurological deficits, behavior problems, mental retardation, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and even death.

One of the main sources of lead today is lead paint. Outlawed in the 1970s, paint containing high amounts of lead can be hazardous to a person's health. Other sources of lead are lead-sodden pipes, dirt around homes, imported candy with lead glazes and pottery containing lead glazes.

Burk stated that children are the most at risk for lead poisoning.

"Young children are especially at risk to contract lead poisoning," said Burk. "They have a lot of hand to mouth activity, making them more at risk to ingest lead."

Parents who work in a lead-rich environment can also bring lead home in the form of dust on their clothes, leaving their families susceptible to lead poisoning. Some precautions to take are bringing an extra pair of clothes to work and always washing hands after handling anything lead-related.

The lead poisoning could also cause more damage to a young child than an adult, according to Burk.

"Children still have a young nervous system that is still growing," said Burk. "The lead can get into the blood stream and effect the brain calls and how a child develops. The result can be lower I.Q. as well as learning disabilities."

Once someone contracts lead poisoning, they are advised to consult their physician. At that point, the blood lead levels can be monitored, and even medically treated if they are high enough.

To prevent the disease, people are advised to always wash their hands and to stay from high concentrations of lead. Eating a high-iron, high-calcium diet can also prevent lead from building inside the stomach.

Since prevention is the best defense against lead poisoning, people are advised to get tested. Currently, children covered under Medi-Cal, California Health Disability Prevention, Healthy Families or the Women, Infants and Children programs are required to get a blood lead test at 12 and 24 months.

A 1993 California Health and Safety Code regulation also requires all health care plans to cover the screening costs of blood lead level tests.

For more information on lead poisoning, call Burk at 558-8858.

Reprinted by permission of The Turlock Journal