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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › What You Need to Know About Lead Poisoning

What You Need to Know About Lead Poisoning

Don't Take It Lightly

By Dr. Aneema Van Groenou

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A study testing lead levels in children found that the highest lead levels were in children who lived in homes built before 1946 – almost double the lead levels of children who live in homes built after 1973. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched major lead testing efforts in poor, inner-city neighborhoods, correlating poverty with older homes. So a common misconception arose that persists even in medical training, that family income affects risk for lead exposure. This is false. In fact, just the age of the home affects risk for lead poisoning.

However, the demographics of lead poisoning show that currently rates of lead poisoning are higher in large cities and among people with low incomes – because that is where most of the old homes are. But that demographic is rapidly changing. Consider recent trends in real estate: Older buildings in cities are renovated to house people eager to live closer to city centers, making some of the most exclusive real estate at highest risk for lead exposure. In some areas, like where we live, some of the more rural or suburban houses were also built in the 1950s and '60s.

Lead levels in the environment have also gone down significantly since lead was banned from gasoline. But lead can still be found in old water pipes, although lead no longer can be used to mend pipes. Peeling paint is often found in dust, where people garden and children play, not only inside, but surrounding older buildings. Pottery with lead-based glazes and food and juice cans with lead in the containers can still be found, especially in imported goods. Recent reports als found lead in imported candy containers, especially worrisome because children are the primary consumers.


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