What can lead do to a child?

Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child's health, including damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems. Lead paint or dust are not the only ways lead exposure can occur in children.

What does lead do to a child's brain?

Even when exposed to small amounts of lead levels, children may appear inattentive, hyperactive, and irritable. Children with greater lead levels may also have problems with learning and reading, delayed growth, and hearing loss. At high levels, lead can cause permanent brain damage and even death.

What are signs of lead poisoning in a child?

What can lead do to a child and where is it found?

Lead can affect almost all your child's organs and symptoms. It can cause long-term health, behavioral and learning effects. Lead is most commonly found in homes that were built before 1978. If you live in an older home, talk to your local health department about testing your home for lead.

What are the effects of lead?

Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death. Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby's nervous system.

What is a high lead level in a child?

The average lead test result for young children is about 1.4 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL). 5-14 • Your child's lead level is high. A result of 5 µg/dL or higher requires action. Your doctor or nurse will talk with you about your child's diet, growth and development, and possible sources of lead.

How long does it take lead to leave the body?

Once in the body, lead travels in the blood to soft tissues such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, spleen, muscles, and heart. The half-life of lead varies from about a month in blood, 1-1.5 months in soft tissue, and about 25-30 years in bone (ATSDR 2007).

Does lead cause autism?

Despite some overlapping symptoms, there is no convincing evidence that childhood lead poisoning causes ASD; however, rare cases of misdiagnosis can occur. For example, a case was reported in which a child misdiagnosed with severe autism was found, instead, to suffer from chronic lead poisoning.

How do you flush lead out of your body?

If lead levels in the blood are excessive, a procedure known as chelation therapy can help remove lead from the body. It involves either an oral or intravenous agent that binds to lead so that it can be cleared from the body in stool or urine.

Can you recover from lead poisoning?

Lead is more harmful to children because their brains and nervous systems are still developing. Lead poisoning can be treated, but any damage caused cannot be reversed.

Is there a cure for lead poisoning in children?

Chelation therapy.

In this treatment, a medication given by mouth binds with the lead so that it's excreted in urine. Chelation therapy might be recommended for children with a blood level of 45 mcg/dL or greater and adults with high blood levels of lead or symptoms of lead poisoning.

Can lead cause speech delay?

"The earliest changes you might see in a child, depending on the age they were exposed to lead, may be delays in speech and language development. On the extreme end, if lead levels are extremely high, it can cause brain damage and even death. ...

Can lead cause behavior problems?

U.S. studies have reported that lead exposure causes what psychologists call externalizing behavior problems, such as aggressiveness and bullying, which may lead to truancy and even jail time as children get older.

Does lead affect speech?

Speech and Language

Low levels of lead can begin to affect a child's hearing, which impacts their ability to process language.

How much lead does it take to poison a child?

But there is surprisingly little agreement on exactly when a child has accumulated a toxic amount of lead. Everybody agrees that there is no "safe" level of lead exposure. However, the CDC doesn't recommend taking action unless a child's blood-lead level exceeds 10 micrograms/dL -- a threshold set in 1991.

What foods are high in lead?

However, surprisingly high lead levels have been found in some of our favorite foods, like chocolate, peas, cannabis (sorry), sweet potatoes, and mustard greens, as well as other crops. That means lead can wind up in the products you may have in your pantry, like these: baby food. energy bars.

Is lead poisoning permanent?

It causes almost 10% of intellectual disability of otherwise unknown cause and can result in behavioral problems. Some of the effects are permanent. In severe cases, anemia, seizures, coma, or death may occur.

Does lead poisoning Cause ADHD?

Research suggests that there is a connection between lead exposure in young children, even at low levels, and ADHD. Children with measurable blood levels of lead sometimes have difficulty with attention and experience behavioral issues that may be associated with ADHD.

Can lead poisoning mimic autism?

Lead-poisoned kids can also become hyperactive or have trouble getting along with others because lead has affected their behavior -- all signs that might be mistaken for autism.

How do you get lead poisoning?

Eating or breathing in dust from deteriorating lead-based paint is the most common cause of lead poisoning among children. Another source of lead poisoning is tap water in homes that have lead pipes. It's also linked to paint and dust chips from old toys, furniture, and certain hobby materials.

How do I detox my toddler from lead?

Feed your child healthy foods with calcium, iron, and vitamin C. These foods may help keep lead out of the body. Calcium is in milk, yogurt, cheese, and green leafy vegetables like spinach. Iron is in lean red meats, beans, peanut butter, and cereals.

Can the body get rid of lead?

Treating lead poisoning

The damage lead causes cannot be reversed, but there are medical treatments to reduce the amount of lead in the body. The most common is a process called chelation – a patient ingests a chemical that binds to lead, allowing it to be excreted from the body.

How do I lower my toddler's lead level?

How do you test a child for lead exposure?

What household items contain lead?