Young children are most vulnerable to lead exposure, and parents can take preventive measures to ensure minimal exposure to lead.
Dr. Teresa Riech, medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at OSF San Francisco Medical Center in Peoria, explains that there are two types of lead exposure: acute poisoning and chronic long-termexposure.
Children exposed to high amounts of lead, such as swallowing a lead fishing weight, fall into the category of acute poisoning and are rare cases.
More often, children are exposed to lead over the long term in small doses, such as through lead dust and paint or lead in water. Treatment for the two cases may differ, as Riech explains.
Chelation therapy is often used in cases of lead poisoning to reduce blood lead levels. However, Riech states that it is more effective in cases of acute poisoning than in cases of chronic, or long-term, exposure.
Chelation therapy is a biological process, both preventive and curative, used continuously by all living organisms , through which calcium, fats, and heavy metals such as lead, chromium, iron, aluminum, mercury, cadmium, and vanadium, which are highly harmful when found in the bloodstream, artery walls, and joints, are carried away by the chelating substance and eliminated in the urine, detoxifying the body, reactivating essential vital functions, and increasing oxygenation and vitality throughout the body.
"Chronic exposure at that point is not the ideal therapy," he says.
Lead is dangerous for children under 3 years of age because their brains are developing rapidly. It can lower a child's IQ and cause intelligence and behavioral problems. Lead can have neurological effects as well as affect behavior.
The problems can last until the age of 7.
It also affects the child's calcium levels and can cause bones to fracture easily, as well as dental problems.
Lead exposure can also lead to kidney problems, high blood pressure, and reproductive issues, which can be passed on to children.
Lead can have these effects on older children as well.
The first step in protecting children from lead exposure is to talk to a pediatrician or have the child tested for heavy metals.
Lead may be only one contributing factor to certain diseases, but its long-term effects are often unclear.
The long-term effects are reduced learning and shortened attention span. It is impossible to say whether lead has caused this or whether other factors in the child, such as genetic makeup or psychosocial environment, are the cause of any problems the child may have. Lead may be a contributing factor, but it may not be the only cause for concern.
Parents should notify their doctors if they live in older homes built before 1980 and teach good hygiene practices such as washing hands before eating.
A healthy diet can help combat potential exposure to lead. Foods rich in iron and calcium can help absorb lead in a child.
Lead exposure can be a problem for adolescents and adults as well. While adult brains develop more slowly than those of young children, blood lead levels can lead to similar problems such as high blood pressure and reproductive issues.
Even low exposure in adults can pose a problem, especially in pregnant women who can transfer lead to their babies in the womb.
