What do you know about Lead Poisoning?
© Mary Pantazis
There was a group of kids that were traveling around the same time we were. Those kids have forgotten the trip already. Those kids were kids who had been exposed to and suffered from moderate and severe mental retardation due to Lead Poisoning when they were infants and toddlers.
Do you know that it takes only about 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood to poison a child. Think of it like a package of sweetener. A package of sweetener is about 1 gram and there are 1 million micrograms in a gram. Divide one package of sweetener into 1 million piles and take one pile and add it to 1/2 cup of liquid. That is all it takes to poison a child.
Lead can be found in paint chips, and paint dust. It can be carried into your home by a dog or cat who has been walking in the dust of lead paint. Lead can be found in old pipes and therefore can be poisoning drinking water and the water you use for cooking. You can bring lead into your home on the bottoms of your shoes. Please keep a rug outside your door to wipe your shoes on before entering. It is really a good idea to take your shoes off and put on slippers before walking through your home.
Some states require that houses built earlier than the 70's be tested for lead and if lead is found the house cannot be sold until all traces of the lead is removed. This needs to be done by trained people. Please do not try to remove lead paint unless you are trained.
If you suspect that your home or apartment has lead in it please have your children tested for lead poisoning.
There are some wonderful websites you can use to find information about lead poisoning. http://www.parentsplace.com/health/safet... Alliance to end childhood lead poisoning http://www.aeclp.org/
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