LEAD, A TOXIC METAL

A Toxic MetalLead 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.

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.

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 with chronic lead poisoning! Lead poisoning victims usually become anemic. This symptoms usually persist for about 2 weeks from time of exposure, then settle into the organs, bones and even hair! We still do not know the long term effects of lead exposure!

These symptoms are sometimes overlooked by doctors and are not properly diagnosed as lead poisoning, since they are vague.

The Centers for Disease Control considers lead to be the greatest environmental health risk to children as their immune systems are still in the developmental stages!

LEAD POISONING PREVENTION

- Children can begin being tested at age 1 and should continue to be tested until they are 6 years old. - Children under the age of 6 are especially at risk, and the long-term effects of lead in a child can be severe. They include learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, behavioral problems, seizures, coma, brain damage, and even death.
- The major source of lead exposure among U.S. children is lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings. Children living in or below the poverty line, or in older housing, are also at a greater risk.
- If you are pregnant, avoid exposing yourself to lead. Lead can pass through you body to your baby.
- Although the natural level of lead in children is zero, it is considered normal to have a blood level of less than 9.
- If a child has recently ingested lead paint, glazes, or a lead weight, he'll need to undergo decontamination until it is removed from his body. See the section under treatment for more information.

2) Keep Your House Clean

- Dust from the floor or nearby children's play areas can cause an increase in blood lead level.
- Encourage children not to put their hands in their mouths and wash their hands frequently.
- Use a wet mop to dust.
- Wash toys frequently.

3) Reduce The Risk Of Lead Paint

- Do not allow children to put anything in their mouth covered with lead paint.
- Don't burn painted wood, as it may contain lead.
- Lead that has contaminated soil from the past use of lead paint and gasoline does not degrade or break down with time.

4) Don't Remove Lead Paint Yourself

- Test your house for lead paint using a lead test kit.
- Hire a person with special training to remove the lead paint. The family should leave the house during the process.

5) Don't Bring Lead Dust into Your Home

- If you work with lead, try to shower and change your clothes before going home.
- Encourage children to play in sand or grass instead of dirt, which sticks to fingers easier. Recommend that children wash their hands when coming into the house.
- Avoid using home remedies and cosmetics that contain lead.

6) Get Lead Out Of Your Drinking Water

- Test your water for lead.
- Run your faucet 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if it hasn't run in a few hours.
- Try to use only cold water from the tap for drinking and cooking. Hot water is more likely to contain higher levels of lead, and most of the lead in household water usually comes from the plumbing in your house, not from the local water supply.

7) Eat Right

- Don't store food in lead crystal glassware or old pottery.
- If you reuse plastic bags, keep the printing on the outside of the bag.

8) Statistics

- About 1 in 22 children in America have high lead in their blood.
- Recommended levels of lead are 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control
- Lead-based paints were banned for use in housing in 1978. However, approximately 24 million housing units in the U.S. have deteriorated leaded paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust. More than 4 million of these dwellings are homes to one or more young children.
- 22 percent of black children and 13 percent of Hispanic children living in housing built before 1946 have elevated blood lead levels compared with 6 percent of white children living in comparable types of housing.

9) Treatment

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR 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. The current FDA guideline for lead in most food is 0.25 ppm. 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. Cans with round bottoms (extruded cans) are safe and do not have a seam or use lead. 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. Click here for actionable levels for lead in potable (drinking) water.
3.	Soil, Dust/Dirt & Play Sand - 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. You can test for lead particulate in dust by using Lead Inspector. 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. Burning candles with lead wicks not only emits lead particles into the air - but those particles also ultimately settle out as dust on walls and floors. The lead-dust from these candles may actually be mistaken for lead-based paint. Click here for actionable levels for lead in soil & dust.
4.	Paint and home renovations (Dirt and Dust) - In the 1970's and earlier, house plants contained as much as 50 per cent lead!!! Many household paints contained lead prior to 1979. 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. Test older cribs for lead based paints before purchasing or using as children may chew paint from the railings and ingest lead! Children should be kept away from sanding and paint removal (during renovations) 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. CMHC has a "free" booklet outlining safe procedures for lead based paint removal in the home called "LEAD IN YOUR HOME - Publication 61941". Call 1-800-668-2642 (outside Canada, dial 1-613-748-2003) to obtain your free copy by mail or click here to download a free copy (enter 61941 in Search Box). Click here for actionable levels for lead in paint.
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 (i.e., 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. RELATED STORY! HEALTH CANADA - Lead Crystalware & Your Health
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.
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. These blinds have also been found to contain lead in their vinyl formulation (used as a UV ray inhibitor). 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. RELATED STORY! Lead Hazard Posed By PVC Mini-Blinds
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.
11.	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. Burning candles with lead wicks not only emits lead particles into the air - but those particles also ultimately settle out as dust on walls and floors. The lead-dust from these candles may actually be mistaken for lead-based paint. 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.
12.	Jewelry - Inexpensive children's toy jewelry (trinkets, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, metallic hair accessories and "big heavy" finger rings) can contain high amounts of lead, which poses a risk if toddlers, young children or teens suck or chew on it. A survey of inexpensive jewelry - a range of items costing less than $20 - found 70% contained lead! Especially beware of jewelry purchased from vending machines or discount stores that sell for less than $2.00. If your child is likely to chew or suck on jewelry which contains lead, discard it immediately or test these items for lead first by using LEAD INSPECTOR. Current "proposed" limits for children's jewellery & toys is 600 mg/kg (600 parts per million - ppm) total lead and 90 mg/kg (90 ppm) migratable or leachable lead. Samples of jewellery containing lead! RELATED STORIES! 1. TOY JEWELRY RECALL announced by the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission on July 8, 2004. 2. Lead In Toys & Jewellery 3. UPDATE: Lead In Toys & Jewellery
13.	Children's Toys (painted toys & soft vinyl PVC products) Mattel Fisher/Price has recalled million of these toys that have been found to contain lead. Soft vinyl plastic (PVC - poly vinyl chloride or painted) toys 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. RELATED STORY! Lead & PVC Toys 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 all your children's toys using LEAD INSPECTOR RELATED INFORMATION! THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN - Poison Center
14.	Ceramic Tile - Some glazes on ceramic tile (floor, wall & ceiling tiles) were found to contain lead. Glazes were generally made with white lead and mixed with finely ground metallic oxides that provided the color. Colors included yellow from lead and antimony! These tiles were produced from many different countries around the world. You can easily test ceramic tile for a lead glaze using LEAD INSPECTOR!
15.	Mexican Candy - A seemingly harmless indulgence - can contain a poison that is especially dangerous to children. Regulators have found unsafe lead levels in candy - most made in Mexico - but test results almost always are kept from parents and health officials. The California guideline for lead in candy is 0.2 ppm. The FDA sets that level at 0.5 ppm. Wrappers must register 600 ppm lead for the state to consider them toxic. A bilingual guide to help parents avoid toxic treats is available. Download an 8.4" by 14" PDF version: - In English (1 MB PDF) - In Spanish (1.1 MB PDF). More information about lead in Mexican candy can be found at: OCregister.com You can test Mexican candies & wrappers using LEAD INSPECTOR! Click here to print the above out for science projects etc!