Intelligent Children

Parents should be concerned about protecting their children against exposure to lead. "The reason for concern is that there is no good level of lead in the body," says Robert J. Geller, medical director of the Poison Center of Georgia.

Children's toys and lead paint

The most common danger lead in toys comes from their painting. Ironically, while lead paint was banned for residential use by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) in 1978, many toys for children, particularly those manufactured in China, are at levels of lead in beyond the limits.

Lead in paint is resistant to moisture, increases durability, speed of drying and allows the pain to keep a fresh appearance, factors that probably account for its continued use despite its known toxicity. Parents can help keep their children safe by regularly checking the recall lists to see if households have dangerous toys. A complete list, month by month is available through the CPSC Product Safety and Recall News.

The symptoms of lead poisoning in children

Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning, which involves the accumulation of lead in their bodies over time. Although the mere contact with objects containing lead is not in itself a threat, when children put toys in lead paint in their mouths (including young children are capable of doing), the flags of lead their developing nervous systems, poisoning and tissue enzymes. And even a small amount of lead is enough to cause damage in young children.

Frighteningly, the signs and symptoms of lead poisoning are often nonspecific (they could be attributed to a number of typical childhood diseases) and are not visible as lead levels have reached epidemic proportions dangerous. The symptoms of lead poisoning in children include weight loss, sluggishness, stomach cramps, vomiting, loss of appetite, paleness, and constipation. Finally, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities and even lowered intelligence.

Children under six are more vulnerable. attention deficit disorder, behavioral problems, stunted growth, hearing loss of kidney damage and learning disabilities may occur, even very low exposure levels, high levels of exposure can cause mental retardation, coma and even death.

Lead dust and other sources of lead poisoning

Toys are not the only culprits of lead poisoning. lead plumbing, lead-contaminated soil, lead crystal decanters, and painted ceramic vessels are also sources of the toxin. However, the lead-based paint in older homes is the main cause for concern.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately 38 million U.S. homes still contain lead paint. Twenty-four million of them have lead paint that is in the state as potentially dangerous - the deterioration. Paint chips ingested by children, or lead paint on the premise that children could chew, such as window sills, are a source of danger. But more sinister is the lead dust that threatens not only children but also adults.

The lead makes its way into the body, not only by the stomach, but also through the lungs, and inhaled lead is just as dangerous as lead ingested. Lead poisoning in lead dust is usually the cause of toxicity in adults, although exposure levels are much needed to produce adverse effects in adults versus children.

Symptoms of lead poisoning in adults include headache, abdominal pain, loss of memory; mood disorders, pain, numbness or tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness and impaired reproduction. Pregnant women are particularly at risk: pregnancy discharge of lead that has accumulated in the body of the mother in her bloodstream and can expose the fetus to lead.

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