Keeping your kids safe from the dangers of lead

Photo by Jomkwan, courtesy iStockphoto

Prized for its ability to resist moisture and corrosion as well as brighten colors, lead has made its way into many products that we use around our homes. They include things like roofing, car batteries, pottery, jewelry, pipes and paint.

But the benefits of this naturally occurring metal come with a frightening downside: Lead is highly toxic to humans. And it’s especially dangerous for kids under age 6 because they are still developing.

During their early years, children grow really fast. Lead can damage their brains and nervous system. That can cause learning and behavioral problems and a host of other issues as well. The younger the child, the more harm lead can cause.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 500,000 U.S. children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. The rates are highest in children who live in cities and in housing built before 1978.

Globally, the numbers are even higher. Officials estimate that 1 out of every 3 children — or 800 million kids — around the world are affected by lead poisoning.

Lead exposure can also be dangerous during pregnancy, breastfeeding and infancy. Young children absorb four to five times more lead into their bodies than adults do.

“There is no safe level of lead exposure for children, or for anyone,” says lead poisoning prevention expert DeeAnn Guo, who works with the Childhood Lead Action Project. “Lead is a toxin, and we want to avoid lead exposure at any level.”

The U.S. government banned lead-based paint in 1978, and leaded gasoline was phased out by 1996. But lead continues to linger all around us. It can be found in old products like toys, and in new things such as battery manufacturing and roofing materials.

But the biggest source by far of lead poisoning for children is old paint. Lead tastes sweet, Guo says, and small kids might chew on chips from walls and woodwork and around windows and doors. Kids can also inhale the dust created by aging lead-based paint, or ingest the dust by touching surfaces and putting their hands in their mouths.

“Anywhere there’s lead paint, lead dust can be a problem,” Guo says. “Sometimes it’s visible and sometimes it’s invisible.”

It’s important for parents to be aware of the age of their homes, she says. An old house can have peeling and chipping paint. Kids also love to play outside, but even this can pose a risk. Soil can pick up lead from old exterior paint on homes and buildings, as well as leaded gasoline once used in cars. Children who live near highways or in older cities are at greater risk for exposure through soil.

Lead can also enter your home through lead water pipes and brass or bronze faucets and fixtures. Millions of lines of pipes that bring water to homes, schools and other buildings in communities are estimated to contain lead.

The bottom line is that kids can be exposed to lead wherever they live, learn and play, so it’s important to talk to your child’s health care provider about whether your child might be at risk. A blood test is the best way to find out if your child has been exposed to lead. Your child’s doctor can recommend follow-up care based on the level of lead that is detected in your child’s blood.

• Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association