Lead Paint and Children
Lead is present in many things in and around your home, and if ingested into the body through eating, drinking, or inhaling, then it can cause lead poisoning. One leading cause of lead poisoning is Lead Paint. As of 1978, lead based paint has been banned for household use, for furniture, and for children’s toys. But many older homes and constructions from before 1978 still have a lot of lead paint used in the homes.
Lead paint can cause lead poisoning in anyone who eats, drinks, or comes in contact with lead dust created by lead paint. Adults are also susceptible to lead poisoning from lead paint, but the majority of the concern is among children lower than age six.
Small children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, and lead paint is the leading cause for lead poisoning in children. Chipped paint and flakes of lead paint can be eaten by small children, which could cause lead paint based poisoning. Small children have a tendency to put everything in their mouth. If they chew or lick on anything that has lead paint, then the lead can enter their bodies and cause lead poisoning.
Health Hazards Caused By Lead Paint In Children
Children are at a much higher risk of lead poisoning from lead paint than adults. The younger the child, the higher are the chances of them getting lead poisoning from lead paint. Lead dust can settle on children’s hands and can enter their bodies during normal hand to mouth activity.
Lead paint can also contaminate the soil around your home, if used to paint the exteriors, and such soil can then be a cause for lead poisoning in children, if they play in the soil and happen to eat it. Lead poisoning due to lead paint can result in the following illnesses in children:
- Learning disabilities
- Retarded growth
- Diseases of the nervous system
- Brain damage and impaired mental capabilities
- Lowered intelligence and reduced attention span
- Behavioral problems
Testing Children Exposed To Lead Paint
Children, who have lead poisoning or elevated levels of lead in their blood, due to lead based paint, may exhibit many symptoms such as vomiting, constipation, irritability, headaches etc. Most of these symptoms can be confused with other childhood problems and thus lead poisoning due to lead paint is often difficult to detect. If a child is suffering from lead poisoning, he or she may appear to be quite normal and may not even show many symptoms. Thus it is essential to get children younger than six years of age tested for lead poisoning, especially if you live in a home that is made before 1978, as it is more likely to have lead paint.
Children who are below one year old are the most susceptible to lead poisoning. Every child should be tested for lead in the blood at the age of one, and if possible, at the age of two again. A simple blood test can tell you the exact levels of lead in children. Less than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (10ug/DL) is the acceptable amount of lead levels in children.
10 to 19ug/DL of lead concentrations indicate mild lead poisoning; 20-44 indicates mild lead poisoning, whereas between 45-70ug/DL lead concentration in blood indicates a severe case of lead poisoning in children. If any child tests at more than 70ug/DL of lead in the blood, then it is considered as an emergency. The child will have to be hospitalized and will not be able to return home unless all lead paint is removed from the home and it is made free of lead contamination.
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