Protecting Your Child From Lead Poisoning
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
The recent closing of a playground in Philadelphia because of high levels of lead in the soil and a state report detailing lead risks to children in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties remind us that lead poisoning is an enduring health problem. Kevin Osterhoudt, MD, Medical Director of the Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), hopes the news serves as a wake-up call to parents about the dangers of lead poisoning in our homes, schools and neighborhoods.
Lead is a silent and often invisible menace. By the time parents discover that a child has lead poisoning – through a blood test – it has often slowed brain development for months or even years, sometimes starting before birth.
“Lead is a burglar,” says Dr. Osterhoudt. “It robs our children of their full potential.”
Children in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area are especially vulnerable because:
“On the one hand, the banning of lead paint and later of leaded gasoline is one of the great environmental success stories of our lifetime,” says Dr. Osterhoudt. “On average, children today have much lower levels of lead in their blood and their bodies than kids did 40 years ago. But in that same period, we’ve learned that even low levels of lead can damage children’s developing brains.”
CHOP and other area hospitals continue to see and treat children with lead levels 15 to 25 times what is considered the upper level of normal.
What can you do if you live in an older home or are concerned about lead in your child’s environment? Dr. Osterhoudt offers these suggestions:
Because lead poisoning can begin before a child is born, when you are planning to have children, consider the lead hazards where you live.
If your child’s blood test shows higher-than-normal lead levels, Dr. Osterhoudt’s advice is simple and urgent:
If you can’t eliminate the exposure — by moving, for example, or through a safe renovation without being present in the home — practice vigilant hygiene to reduce exposure to safer levels:
Contributed by: Kevin Osterhoudt, MD, MSCE, FAAP, FAACT, FACMT
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