According to KidsHealth,
signs and symptoms of lead
poisoning include:
• Headaches
• Behavioral problems and
trouble concentrating
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation
• A metallic taste in the
mouth
• Feeling tired
• Muscle and joint weakness
• Looking pale
Volume 8 | Issue No. 49
L
ead poisoning, often thought
to be an issue of the past,
continues to be a very prevalent
problem that is damaging the health
and cognitive abilities of entire
communities.
Whether at home, at school, or in
other environments where lead
is present, children are especially
vulnerable. Exposure to high levels
of the toxic substance is absorbed
in the teeth and bones. This level
of absorption not only has serious
side effects on people, but has the
potential to cause generational
health risks.
Female children exposed to lead
store it in their teeth and bones. It
remains there through adulthood.
During pregnancy, the female body
releases stored calcium, often from
bones and teeth, to support the
developing fetus. When calcium is
released, the lead that is stored in
the bones and teeth is also released,
directly impacting the health of the
mother and child.
This child is born with lead poisoning
and is at greater risk of behavioral
issues or cognitive delays. This
remains true even if the mother and
child do not live in a high-risk area.
Instead, the mother's childhood
exposure is passed to her child.
The brain is particularly sensitive to
lead, which enters the body through
ingestion or inhalation, causing
negative cognitive, behavioral, and
neurological effects that disrupt
every system in the body.
One Milwaukee father, Nazir Al-
Mujaahid, is all too familiar with the
impact of lead poisoning. He said
his 9-year-old son, Shu'aib, excels in
sports, but learned to speak late, and
lags behind his 6-year-old brother in
reading.
Al-Mujaahid, 45, believes that
lead poisoning hindered Shu'aib's
development and suspects the lead
pipes in his home as the source.
Children with greater lead levels may
also have problems with learning
and reading, delayed growth, and
hearing loss. At high levels, lead can
cause permanent brain damage
and even death. "I found out about
it because my son wasn't developing
normally," Al-Mujaahid said. Shu'aib
is among 9,600 Wisconsin children
younger than 16 poisoned by lead
between 2018 and 2020, according
to Wisconsin Department of Health
Services data.
MISSOURI HAS LEAD ISSUES, TOO. MISSOURI HAS LEAD ISSUES, TOO.
According to the Missouri
Department of Health & Senior
Services (DHSS), 21% of Missouri
housing was built before 1950 – at
a time when lead-based paint was
widely used. Another 65% of Missouri
housing was built before 1978, and
many of these houses also contain
lead-based paint.
These houses pose particular hazards
to children, who are more at risk for
lead poisoning because they have
faster respiratory rates than adults
and they explore their world with their
hands and mouths. Besides lead-
based environment factors, items
containing lead that children often
put in their mouths include things
like car keys and toys. In 2018, this
translated to 83,633 Missouri children,
younger than six, testing positive
for lead. Of that number, 2,033 had
lead levels between 5 and 9.9, and
515 had blood levels more than or
equal to 10 mcg/dL. A result of 5
micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) or
higher requires action, according to
the Mayo Clinic.
Cathy Wood, lead health educator
at DHSS, hosted a workshop during
the recent Get Link'd 2021 Missouri
Rural Health Association Conference.
The workshop, Lead's Impact on
the Developing Brain and the Life of
Your Child, discussed the dangers of
lead poisoning, the importance of
regular exams for children, and the
negative generational effects of lead
poisoning.
accessHealthNews.net
Fall Special Edition 2021
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