| Lead - A Toxic Metal | Facts about Lead Poisoning | How to Reduce your Lead Intake |
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Lead - a toxic metal
Lead is very poisonous to human beings. Even tiny amounts of it in our blood,
measured in millionths of grams (micrograms) can harm our health.
Children absorb more lead than adults and are at higher health risk. More
than
1,000,000 American children may have blood lead levels needing medical
attention, and more than one million children may be somewhat mentally or
emotionally impaired by lead exposure.
Acute lead poisoning is less common now than before lead's toxicity was known.
Nevertheless, with higher environmental lead levels, subtle health effects
from small
doses are being detected. Children risk premature birth, smaller stature,
and
lower mental development, and adult men may have higher blood pressure.
Children risk premature birth,
smaller stature, and
lower mental development!
Airborne lead concentrations in American cities are tens of thousands of times
higher than before lead mining began.
The good new is that there are definitely things each of us can do to reduce
our
own exposure to lead. Symptoms are sometimes overlooked by
doctors
The Facts About Lead Poisoning
Lead is practically everywhere in today's environment. It enters our bodies
from many
sources including defective glazes (pottery), drinking water, contaminated
soil,
airborne particulate, leaded gasoline, paint and several other sources. Symptoms
of lead poisoning are stomach pains, constipation, diarrhea, aggressiveness,
anxiousness, hyperactivity, muscle pain, weakness, weight loss, learning disabilities,
convulsions and eventual death!
These symptoms are sometimes overlooked by doctors and are not properly
diagnosed as lead poisoning, since they are vague. Our children are at greatest
risk
as their immune systems are still in the developmental stages!
How to reduce my Lead Intake:
1.Lead in food - After phasing out lead in gasoline, reducing lead levels
in food
should be our greatest health priority.
Lead intake from fresh vegetables and fruits can be reduced by thorough washing
and by peeling root vegetables. Food produced close to heavy traffic or
lead-emitting industries will have more lead. Fertilizers with sewage sludge
added
to them may boost soil lead levels - check with the supplier.
Lead in processed foods is picked up at various stages from growing to
packaging. There are estimates that 13 to 22 per cent of our dietary lead
intake is
from lead-soldered food cans. Unfortunately, the U.S. does not regulate and
test
for lead in all canned foods.
Food in cans with lead soldered seams can be dangerous, particularly cans
that
contain acidic substances such as fruit juices, fruits and some vegetables.
Imported
canned goods are more likely to have lead soldered seams. You can test any
can
seam with LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
Watch for white powdery lead compounds beneath corroded lead foil wine bottle
wrap, especially after horizontal storage. You can test wine bottle wrap with
LEAD INSPECTOR ™ to see if it contains lead.
2.Drinking water and plumbing - After several hours, tap water standing in
pipes
may dissolve unhealthy amounts of lead from pipe solder. In areas with soft,
non
mineralized water, run taps for 30 seconds or until cold before using water
to drink
or cook.
Request lead-free solder when plumbing is installed or repaired, and don't
drink
water from the hot water tap, as it has higher levels of dissolved metals.
Excessive
lead levels in potable water may be determined by using LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
Lead piping in older homes and solder joints can also be tested for lead using
LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
3.Soil and Dust/Dirt - The closer your home is to heavy automobile traffic
or to
lead-emitting industries, the more lead is deposited in household dust and
in
gardens. Every cigarette smoked adds a measurable amount of lead to household
dust.
Regular damp dusting, wet mopping, and cleaning, especially near windows and
entrances, help control lead dust.
Keep young children from playing near traffic or lead-emitting industries.
Ensure
they have a frequent, thorough hand-washing. Sucking a finger with city dust
on it
can add a serious dose of lead to a child's daily intake.
If you suspect your garden has elevated lead deposits from traffic or industry,
have
soil tested with LEAD INSPECTOR, ™ before growing food.
Watch for peeling exterior paint, so that paint flakes don't contaminate soil
around
buildings.
4.Paint and home renovations (Dirt and Dust) - In the 1970's and earlier,
houseplants contained as much as 50 per cent lead. Household Paint contained
lead prior to 1979.
Lead poisoning from paint is not thought to be common in the U.S., but children
should be watched in homes and day care centers to prevent their swallowing
paint
chips or chewing painted surfaces, including toys and older cribs.
Children should be kept away from sanding and paint removal in older houses,
and
adults should wear filter masks approved for use with toxic dusts. Burning
off
paint or using mechanical sanders boost your lead exposure. Paint chips and
renovation dirt/dust can be checked for the presence of lead by using LEAD
INSPECTOR. ™
In some imported
ceramics ... heavy
lead leaching has
caused severe lead
poisoning.
5.Safe china and ceramics - Almost all American and Canadian ceramics makers
meet lead safety standards for glazes. In some imported ceramics from Mexico,
China, Italy, Spain, India, Korea, Macao, Pakistan, Thailand etc., however,
heavy
lead leaching has caused severe lead poisoning.
Before buying imported ceramics to be used for food and drink ask (1) the
supplier, (2) the maker, or (3) Food & Drug Administration (FDA) about
the
product's lead safety. For imported ceramics already in use, testing
can be carried
out for lead escaping from the glaze by using LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
6.Furniture, toys and antiques - Imported items such as these often contain
lead.
Older items which have been handed down from one family to another (ie., painted
cribs & toys) also have been found to contain lead. These items may be
tested for
lead using LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
7.Lead Crystal Glasses, decanters & pitchers - These sources of lead can
produce situations that are extremely hazardous to your health! Acidic juices
&
wines should never be stored in these items for extended periods of time.
Test
these items for lead using LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
8.Printed materials - Newspapers, magazines, & plastic bread bags often
contain
lead-based inks which can be harmful to children, if chewed. Avoid using these
materials to wrap food.
Do not allow
children to come
in contact with
PVC Plastic
Mini-blinds.
9.PVC Mini-blinds - These inexpensive plastic blinds (about 1" wide) should
not
be used in homes, especially with pregnant women and children under 6 years
of
age. Do not allow children to come in contact with these blinds.
Health and Welfare Canada reports that these blinds have unacceptable levels
of
surface lead through production and airborne particulate.
Be sure to clean any mini-blinds periodically with TSP (Trisodium phosphate)
cleaner to remove surface lead. (TSP is available at your local hardware store.)
Test your plastic blinds for lead using LEAD INSPECTOR. ™
10.Bath Tub Glazes - Test your bath tub glaze, especially if it's old!
There have been recent reports of acute lead poisoning in young children from
leaded bath tub glazes via drinking bath water. Always bathe children
in fresh
warm water. Never re-heat cold bath water that has been sitting in the tub
as
dissolved lead will accumulate in tubs with a leaded glaze. You can test any
bath
tub glaze using LEAD INSPECTOR.TM.
11.Jewelry - Inexpensive children's jewelry (trinkets) can contain high amounts
of
lead, which poses a risk if toddlers suck or chew on it. A survey of inexpensive
jewelry - a range of items costing less than $20 - found 70% contained lead!
If your child is likely to chew or suck on jewelry which contains lead, discard
it
immediately or test these items for lead using LEADINSPECTORTM.
12.Candle Wicks - Candles made with LEAD CORE WICKS (used to support the
wick upright & make the candle last longer) can release lead when burned.
The
lead can be absorbed by inhalation. Wicks with tin or zinc cores or made simply
with cotton do not pose a health hazard - unless the candle is burned in an
unsafe
manner.
Candles imported from China were most likely to have lead core wicks, though
candles made in Canada, United States, Mexico & Taiwan were also found
to
have lead core wicks. Candles with lead cores should be discarded.
Check with
retailers before purchasing candles. If the retailer doesn't have the
information,
shop elsewhere. Test your candle wicks for lead using LEAD INSPECTOR.
13.Children's Toys (soft vinyl PVC products) - Health Canada's Advisory is
concerned with soft vinyl PVC toys that could be sucked or chewed on by a
very
young child for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis, hereby exposing
the
child to surface lead, if any.
While some of these products were found to contain lead, the majority of the
tested products were found to not have extractable lead that exceeded the
international standard of 90 ppm lead.
The international standard (European Standard EN-71) is a limit of 90 ppm
releasable lead in children's toys. Any level above this is considered dangerous!
Test your children's toys for lead using LEADINSPECTORTM.
Please report to Health Canada any toys that were found to release high levels
of
lead so appropriate actions can be taken!
LEAD INSPECTOR ™ Lead Test Kit
Now You Can Screen For Your Own Risks!
LEAD INSPECTOR ™ is a simple household test kit for the detection of
poisonous lead in paint, pottery, mini-blinds, ceramic-ware, drinking water,
soil,
plumbing, bath tub glazes, toys, jewelry, dust & dirt, furniture, food
can seams,
antiques, candle wicks & more.
Testing is as simple as 1, 2, 3: (Rapid Test Procedure)
1.CLEAN AREA: Clean the area of any dust or dirt.
2.INSERT A SWAB into the Indicator vial.
3.RUB: Gently rub the surface to be tested with the cotton swab tip for
about 30 seconds. If the surface or swab tip changes color, lead is present.
If the test is negative (ie., no color change), verify using a Confirmation
Strip. (These strips are used to confirm that testing was done properly.)
Each kit contains an Instruction Manual/Information Package on lead in the
household, Indicator, Swabs, Tube & Confirmation Strips.
Special testing procedures are included for all types of testing including
Lead in Water.
You can also determine the approximate lead release in the sample (as
low as 1 ppm) using our PATENTED LEACH METHOD!
written by:
abotex enterprises limited
800-268-5323
519-735-8645
http://www.leadinspector.com
the above information may only be reproduced for personal use only!