Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Behavior problems.
Learning problems.
Hyperactivity.
Attention deficit disorder? No.
These symptoms describe exposure to low levels of lead.
Symptoms indicating high levels of lead exposure include poor appetite, stomachaches, vomiting, constipation, crankiness, headaches and trouble sleeping.
The Indiana State Department of Health advises parents to have all children screened for lead exposure at 12 and 24 months of age.
High-risk children include those who live or often spend time in housing built before 1978 - especially if it has peeling or chipping paint or is being remodeled; live with an adult whose job or hobby involves the use of lead; or live in or near an industry likely to give off lead, such as a lead smelter or battery recycling plant.
A "finger-prick" blood test for lead is provided free by the Kosciusko County Department of Health for children age 6 and younger.
County nurse Debbie Frank, RN, said Well Child Health Services requires the test for the Head Start program.
Few county children have tested postive for lead.
"The number is very low," Frank said. "Personally, and I've been a nurse for nine years, I only know of three. The lead source was traced back to pottery made in Mexico."
Lead exposure can prevent a child from developing to his or her potential. Research has demonstrated that childhood exposure to lead at unsafe levels can cause learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity and brain damage. In pregnant women, lead exposure can pass through the body to the unborn child and result birth defects or miscarriage.
Lead may be found in dust, paint, glazed pottery or crystal from other countries, drinking water, pipes and soil.
Because it does not break down naturally, lead can remain a problem until it is removed. It cannot be identified by sight, taste or smell.
Lead was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes and many other products. Now house paint is almost lead-free, leaded gasoline is being phased out and household plumbing is no longer made with lead materials.
Children are usually exposed when they put paint, soil dust or other materials containing lead into their mouths.
Many children have no symptoms of lead exposure even though a screening test indicates a problem.
A diet high in iron and protein, high in vitamin C and calcium and low in fats and oils helps lower lead levels.
Medical treatment depends upon the "blood lead score" and other factors.
Levels of 0 - 9 mcg/dl (micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood) are very low; 10 - 14 mcg/dl are low and require rescreening; 15 - 19 mcg/dl are moderate and require rescreening every three to four months and identification and removal of obvious lead hazards; 20 - 44 mcg/dl require a complete medical evaluation and removal of all lead hazards in the child's environment; 45 - 69 mcg/dl require medical treatment and inspection of environment within 48 hours; and 70 mcg/dl or above is a medical emergency.
In 1998, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana State Department of Health and the Marion County Health Department launched the 2000 Lead-Safe Families for 2000 Project. IDEM has trained more than 100 lead assessors to perform assessments in homes and child care facilities throughout the state.
Ordinary dust and dirt may contain lead. Children can swallow lead or breathe lead-contaminated dust if they play in dust or dirt and then put their fingers or toys in their mouths, or if they eat without washing their hands first.
• Keep the areas where your children play as dust-free and clean as possible.
• Wash pacifiers and bottles after they fall on the floor. Keep extras handy.
• Mop floors and wipe window ledges and chewable surfaces such as cribs with a solution of powdered automatic dishwasher detergent in warm water. Do this twice each week. Wear gloves to avoid possible skin irritation.
• Wash toys and stuffed animals regularly.
• Make sure your children wash their hands before meals, nap time and bed time.
Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as 1978 also may contain lead paint. This paint could be on window frames, walls, the outside of your house or other surfaces. Tiny pieces of peeling or chipping lead paint are dangerous if eaten. Lead paint in good condition is not usually a problem except in places where painted surfaces rub against each other and create dust.
Don't burn painted wood. It may contain lead.
Families have been poisoned by scraping or sanding lead paint because these activities generate large amounts of lead dust. Lead dust from repairs or renovations of older buildings can remain in the building long after the work is completed. Heating lead paint may release lead into the air.
Adults who work in construction, demolition or painting, with batteries or in a radiator repair shop or lead factory, or who have a hobby involving lead, may unknowingly bring lead into the home. It also can be tracked inside from the soil around the house.
Soil very close to homes may be contaminated from lead paint on the outside of the building. Soil by roads or highways may be contaminated from years of exhaust fumes from cars and trucks that used leaded gas.
For more information about testing, call 267-7028.
