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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

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  

  • Slowed speech development
  • Hyperactivity

    If you notice any of these symptoms and you think they may be related to lead – even if you are not sure – talk with your doctor about testing. Catching lead exposure in children is key because children's brains are still developing, and elevated lead levels sustained over a period of time can damage the central nervous system.

    The sooner exposure is discovered, the sooner the lead can be removed from the environment to prevent the dangers of persistent toxicity and the sooner your child can be treated. Lead poisoning is entirely preventable.

    What Does the Elevated Level Mean?
    The test for lead level is a simple blood test, which gets sent to the lab for evaluation, so you may not receive the results for a week or so. A level over 15 is considered elevated and means that your child's physician will want to check these levels again, usually in a month. At this level, especially if the exposure was "acute" or temporary, such as during a brief period of renovation, long-term effects are unlikely.

    When the blood level comes back over 20, it is very important to quickly locate the source of lead and eliminate it from the child's environment and continue re-checking the blood lead level to make sure it is going down. A blood lead level over 45 indicates an emergency and special therapy is usually instituted to immediately remove lead from the child's bloodstream. This treatment is called chelation therapy.

    What Can You Do to Prevent Lead Exposure?
    Lead poisoning is entirely preventable. The challenge is preventing exposure to lead. The first step is becoming aware of where lead may be in your child's environment. Ask yourself these questions: Was the house built before 1978? Is there any exposed or peeling paint in the house? Are there old water pipes? Are there materials that may contain lead that my child could be exposed to, such as ammunition, stained glass supplies, automobile motor parts or batteries? Have I checked my ceramics, cans and candy wrappers for possible lead?


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