Childhood lead poisoning is the number one environmental health
risk facing children in industrialized countries today. According
to recent CDC estimates, 890,000 U.S. children age 1-5 have elevated
blood lead levels.
One of the most important risk factors for lead exposure is the
age of housing. Over 80 percent of all homes built before 1978 in
the U.S. have lead-based paint in them. The older the house, the
more likely it is to contain lead-based paint and a higher concentration
of lead in the paint.
The primary source of lead exposure is through lead based paint
that is peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking. This contaminated
paint can be a hazard when found on surfaces that children can chew
or that get a lot of wear-and-tear. These include windows and window
sills, doors and door frames, stairs, railings, banisters, porches,
and fences.
Lead dust is also hazardous. It can form when lead-based paint
is dry scraped, dry sanded, or heated. This dust can get on surfaces
and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the
air when people vacuum, sweep, or walk through it. Lead dust is
ingested primarily through hand-to-mouth contact.This dust can also
be created when lead paint deteriorates from age, exposure to the
elements, from water damage, friction -- such as the opening of
windows or the rubbing of a tight door -- or during home renovation.
Drinking water can be contaminated by lead solder in the pipes.
For children at risk for lead exposure, a simple blood test can
prevent a lifetime spoiled by the irreversible damage caused by
lead poisoning. Lead poisoning initially may cause no symptoms.
In children, it may lead to irritability, weight loss and sluggishness.
Some children also may develop abdominal pain, vomiting and constipation.
It commonly leads to anemia as well. The greatest risk is to the
development of the brain, where irreversible damage may occur.
Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, hearing difficulties,
growth retardation, behavioral problems, can damage a child's central
nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive system and, at higher
levels, can cause seizures, coma, convulsions, and death. Even low
levels of lead are harmful and are associated with decreased intelligence,
impaired neurobehavioral development, decreased stature and growth,
and impaired hearing acuity.
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Queens County
