Indoor Air Quality

Testing Children for Lead

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

Parents may not realize that their child has been exposed to lead poisoning. In most cases, there are no visible symptoms. At moderate and high blood levels, symptoms such as exhaustion, irritability, difficulty concentrating, tremors, headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss, or constipation may occur. However, these symptoms are often associated with other illnesses.

Lead’s Harmful Effects

Lead affects virtually every system in the body. Small amounts of lead in the body can do serious harm to the developing brain and nervous system of a young child. With a blood lead level as low as 10 mcg/dL (micrograms per deciliter), a child’s learning and behavior may be affected. Increased levels of lead in children may cause hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder, and other behavior disorders. Other effects that begin with low blood lead levels include anemia, decreased growth, impaired hearing, and an inability to maintain a steady posture. Moderate blood lead levels (35 to 50 mcg/dL) affect kidneys and blood cells. At very high levels (80 mcg/dL and greater) coma, convulsions, and even death may result.

Testing Children for Lead

Small children are at more risk for lead exposure, because they have more hand-to-mouth activity and tend to play in areas where lead-based paint may be present. Lead is easily absorbed into a child’s body. For these reasons, it is recommended that children ages 6 months old to 6 years old be tested for lead. Children can be screened for lead during routine checkups at the doctor’s office. The parent should ask that their child be tested if the process has not already been initiated by their doctor. Blood lead level tests are fairly inexpensive and covered by most insurance companies. For children who qualify, Medicaid pays for blood lead tests during routine checkups.

The process includes cleaning the ball or pad of the finger, puncturing it with a sterile lancet, and filling a collection container with a few drops of blood. Children whose measurements range between 10 to 14 mcg/dL should receive follow-up testing within three months using blood drawn from a vein. Your doctor or nurse should be able to interpret the results of a blood lead test done on a child and give you guidance if an elevated blood lead level is found.

Sources of Lead Poisoning

Since lead-based paint for household use was not banned until 1978, parents should assume all homes built prior to this time contain lead-based paint. While it could have been applied in a variety of areas, lead-based paint is most often found on window sills and sashes and in window troughs. Lead-based paint can be found throughout homes built before 1950. It is often found on kitchen and bathroom walls, porches, doors, windows, and wooden trim. It is estimated that 90 percent of homes built before 1950 contain lead-based paint. The majority of children diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels ingest lead in the form of lead-contaminated household dust created by deteriorating lead-based paint.

Lead may also be found in soil where children play. It is generally a result of lead-based paint applied to the exterior surfaces of homes and outbuildings that have either weathered over the years or been scraped for repainting. Some soil also may be contaminated with lead from gasoline emissions prior to 1995. Because lead does not break down in soil, it becomes a long-term hazard. Children playing in soil around newer homes built on old farmsteads also may be at risk for lead poisoning.

Exposure to lead also can come from a family member’s workplace. “Take-home” exposures may result when workers wear work clothes home or launder them with other family members’ clothes. Occupations that expose workers to lead include:

• smelting and refining of nonferrous metals,
• plumbing fixture sittings and trim (brass goods),
• motor vehicle parts and accessories,
• firing range workers.
• bridge, tunnel, and highway construction, and
• automotive repair shops.

Hobbies that require materials containing lead, such as stained glass artwork, furniture refinishing, reloading bullets, and automotive repair may also expose children to lead. Other exposures can come from plumbing fixtures, vinyl mini-blinds, and dishes with lead glazes.

Protecting Children from Lead

Parents can use several interventions to reduce children’s exposure to lead.

• In older homes which may have been painted with lead-based paint:
  • make sure the child does not have access to peeling paint or surfaces with lead-based paint;
  • unless using a high efficiency particulate air-filtered (HEPA) vacuum, do not vacuum hard-surfaced floors, window sills, sashes, or troughs since this will scatter dust; and
  • clean surfaces at least once a week, using damp mop cleaning methods and a solution of water and all-purpose cleaner.
• Wash children’s hands and faces before they eat and before bedtime. Wash toys and pacifiers frequently.
• Soil around older homes is likely to be contaminated with lead. Plant bushes and grass around the outsides of houses so that children are less apt to play in areas where soil may be contaminated.
• Make sure children eat regular meals with plenty of iron (meat, beans, and peanut butter) and calcium (milk, yogurt, and cheese). When children have food in their system, less lead is absorbed. If a child does not have enough iron or calcium in his or her body, the body mistakes lead for these nutrients. Fatty foods should be avoided for children since these allow the body to absorb lead faster.
• People whose occupations expose them to lead should change clothes and remove shoes before entering their home after work. Work clothes should be stored away from other family members’ clothes and washed separately.
• Keep children and pregnant women away from areas of the home undergoing renovation, remodeling, or repair. Never sand, dry scrape, or burn off possible lead-based paint. Lead contaminated household dust created from this kind of work is not only a hazard for children, but for adults as well.

 

References:

• “Testing Nebraska’s Young Children for Lead,” Cooperative Extension, University of Nebraska, G98-1378-A.
• “Lead-Based Paint,” Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6. http://www.epa.gov/.
• Texas Department of Health, Environmental Lead Branch. http://www.tdh.texas.gov/beh/lead/.