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INFORMATION FROM THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE RELATING TO LEAD BLOOD POISONING IN CHILDREN:
*****The primary environmental source of lead poisoning in children is lead-based paint, which was banned in the U.S. in 1978. Lead is still present in about 20 million household/housing units in the U.S.
*****Lead contaminated toys, imported from China, pose a definite health risk for young children.
*****The ages of primary concern are children younger than six years of age, who characteristically have a significant amount of normal hand to mouth activity. There is no "safe" level of lead in the blood of children.
*****If a child has been playing with toys identified in the recall for about one month or longer, Dr. Rosen says parents should be "safe rather than sorry" and test children for lead poisoning. This is done with a simple, quick and effective blood test that costs from $0 to $15.
*****Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (2005) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2006) have established that there is no safe level of lead in the blood of children. The major loss of IQ in children with lead poisoning occurs at blood lead levels less than 10 ug/dl.
*****Childhood lead poisoning is an "asymptomatic" condition, where children show no clinical signs or symptoms that can be recognized as resulting from an elevated blood lead value.
*****Children who are diagnosed with lead poisoning typically experience intellectual and cognitive impairments as they grow older. When lead poisoning has been identified, such impairments may include some or several of the following deficits in: IQ, communication and language skills, fine motor abilities, memory, attention, planning, abstracting and organizing. Once present as a result of lead poisoning, these deficits are considered to be permanent and irreversible.
*****As a result, systematic screening of young children is mandated in the U.S. to uncover "asymptomatic" children with lead poisoning.
*****When a blood lead level reaches 45 ug/dl or higher, immediate hospitalization is required to treat the child with a special drug (called chelation therapy) that rapidly decreases the amount of lead in blood. Chelation does not reverse any intellectual or other damage that has occurred. Chelation stops the progression of the condition and can save lives.
*****If a child's blood lead level is elevated, collaborative medical management and environmental intervention to identify the source of lead poisoning is necessary.
INGESTION OF MAGNETS:
*****If more than one magnet is ingested, magnets can lock together in the intestinal tract and produce damage.
*****Symptoms may include vomiting and abdominal pain.
*****Abdominal surgery is necessary to remove magnets and save lives.
John Rosen, MD
Lead Poisoning Specialist
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center
New York City
Lead Poisoning Mostly From House Paint
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - Lead poisoning affects hundreds of thousands of U.S. youngsters, but most get it from paint chips and dust in deteriorating buildings _ not recalled toys, U.S. health officials say.
Mattel Inc. issued a recall Tuesday for Chinese-made toys that could have lead paint. It was the toy maker's second recall involving lead paint in two weeks.
No children have been reported harmed by the lead paint in the toys, which were sold at retail stores between May and August. But lead poisoning's effects are cumulative so it's important to remove tainted toys from children, Nancy A. Nord, acting Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, said at a Washington news conference.
Often, lead poisoning occurs with no obvious symptoms and frequently goes unrecognized. But it can cause irreversible learning disabilities and behavioral problems and, at very high levels, seizures, coma, and even death.
Federal guidelines define lead poisoning as occurring at a measurement of 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, but health officials in some states define lead poisoning at even lower limits.
But state and federal officials agree there are no safe levels of childhood exposure to lead. Dr. John Rosen, a lead poisoning specialist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City, said he recommends that if a child has been playing with a recalled toy for a month or more, parents should consider bringing the child in for a blood test.
"My suggestion to parents is be safe and not sorry," he said.
There is no medicinal treatment for lower levels of blood poisoning, but recognizing the condition can help guide nutritional and educational measures, Rosen said.
About 310,000 U.S. children ages 1 to 5 have blood lead levels that require treatment or other measures, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lead-based paint was banned from use in housing in 1978, but young children are living in more than 4 million U.S. homes that have deteriorated leaded paint and elevated levels of lead-contaminated house dust, health officials estimate.
Tiny leaded dust particles get on children's hands and feet, and the kids ingest then by sucking on their fingers, explained Rosen.
If parents are worried about lead in their homes or products, Nord recommended using professional testing services. She said home testing kits are not reliable.
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On the Net:
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ChildhoodLead/
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