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Lead Poisoning

Parents always hear a lot about the chance of their child developing lead poisoning but many parents do not know the causes and symptoms associated with this illness. In order to keep your child safe from lead exposure it is important that you understand what causes it.

Lead poisoning is most often contracted by the ingestion of peeling paint that contains lead. Many older homes were painted a lead based paint and when this paint begins to peel, busy fingers may put the paint chips in their mouths.

Lead poisoning can also occur in children that are exposed to fumes that contain lead. These fumes can be released in your home during remolding or the adding of additions.

In more rare instances, lead can also be present in food, water and the air. Lead can be in foods that are stored in foreign-made cans or non-food safe ceramic containers. Lead can be found in water that has traveled through old or broken pipes that contain lead. Outside air lead levels have decreased since lead was removed from gasoline, but some areas still contain a high level of lead pollution.

You do not need to have your child checked for lead poisoning unless you live in a situation that makes your risk of developing lead poisoning high or unless your child shows symptoms of lead poisoning.

Symptoms of lead poisoning include:

• stomach pain

• headaches

• vomiting

• mental confusion

• hair loss

• a low red blood cell count

• seizures

• muscle weakness

If you do live in such an area, or your child shows these symptoms, your child's doctor can test their blood lead levels during a routine check-up.

It is important to check your child's levels because high levels of lead can cause problems with their brain, bone marrow and kidneys if it is left untreated.
If your child's blood levels do come back high, your doctor will prescribe a medication that can lower those levels. After your child has finished the medication, they will need to have a repeat blood test to make sure that the medication is working.

If the levels are very high, or more than one of children tests positive for lead poisoning, the doctor may contact the health department. If this is the case then the health department will complete an inspection of your home and order the lead to be removed or contained.

To prevent the possibility of lead poisoning in your children, it is best to have your house, water and yard soil tested before they are born. If you are moving into a new house, it is a good idea to request that these tests be done if there is any indication that lead could be present.

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