Lead poisoning from home exposure is growing into an increasingly rampant problem across the nation.
Nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, estimates the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey.
Major sources of lead exposure among U.S. children are lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating buildings, says the CDC.
Across the U.S., lead-based paint was used throughout the 1900s, until it was banned from residential use in 1978.
Now, “every year, unhealthy housing is the source of an estimated 250,000 new cases of childhood lead poisoning,” adds the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, which just received a $930,000 federal grant from the Healthy Homes Production Program.
The national non-profit implements and promotes programs and policies designed to reduce lead exposure to children by creating green, healthy homes.
The funds will support the continuation of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) in Baltimore, where the non-profit is based. The initiative is a collaboration between the Coalition, local and federal government agencies, and other philanthropic partners.
The funds will be used to provide services for 200 homes to create healthy, sustainable, and energy efficient environments for families. The Baltimore initiative is one of 17 GHHI programs nationwide.
Last month, during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Ruth Ann Norton, executive director of the Coalition, said, “While we have made significant progress toward our goal of eradicating childhood lead poisoning, the job is far from over.
“There are still more than one million children in the U.S. with elevated blood lead levels, causing irreparable harm to their physical and mental health and robbing them of opportunities to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.”
“Lead is a known neurotoxin and carcinogen capable to harming all of the body’s major systems and is particularly devastating to proper development in children under six years of age,” said the Coalition.
“Lead enters the body through either ingestion or inhalation. Small children and pregnant women absorb about 50 percent of the lead that enters their bodies. The lead that is absorbed travels through the blood stream and lodges in soft tissue such as the liver, kidney, and brain,” added the Coalition.
The CDC says that, “If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system. They can develop behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), slowed growth, hearing problems, and aggressive patterns of behavior.”
The Coalition adds that, “Higher levels of lead poisoning can result in mental retardation, convulsions, and comma. Children that have high blood levels often need hospitalization and expensive medical treatment.”
For adults, symptoms of lead poisoning can include: hypertension, nerve disorders, liver and kidney complications, muscle and joint pains, and sterility, according to the Coalition.
To know definitively, the CDC says, “A blood lead test is the only way you can tell if your child has an elevated lead level. Most children with elevated blood lead levels have no symptoms. The health care provider can recommend treatment if your child has been exposed to lead.”
The Coalition also makes a number of recommendations that families can take to limit existing exposure to lead and avoid potentially hazardous environments. They recommendations include:
- Wash your child’s hands often - Before eating or sleeping, thoroughly wash your child’s hands to reduce the chance of lead dust entering their mouth. Also, clean your child’s toys regularly, especially those used on the floor and on the ground.
- Have your home made lead safe - Hire a certified lead contractor. Check for grants and loans to help pay some or all of the cost.
- Choose lead free housing - When renting or purchasing a home, ask detailed questions about when the home was built.
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