The Cellar - View Single Post

skysidhe · 01-08-2010, 11:41 AM

I looked up Lead Poisoning and found some other things I did not know. I thought maybe others may be interested too.

Clod...When you say elevated levels of lead you do not mean lead poisoning correct?

and as far as this article I found, lead levels are naturally higher at the age of two.

and a well balanced diet helps eliminate lead and

the effects of lead poisoning do not appear until the age of 6 according to this article. Do you disagree?

Have your children had blood tests for lead poisoning?

Information regarding lead poisoning from webMD

http://children.webmd.com/news/20070...oning-and-kids

Is Your Child at Risk of Lead Poisoning? continued...

There is a sure way to know whether your child has accumulated dangerous amounts of lead: a simple blood test. Such tests cost about $15 or $20. Results come back in two days, says Emory University pediatrician Robert J. Geller, MD, medical director of the Georgia Poison Center and chief of pediatrics at Grady Health System, Atlanta. Rosen says, "To be cautious, if a child has been playing with a leaded toy for about one month or more, it is suggested that a child should be tested for lead."
"The average American blood level is 2 to 3 micrograms/dL," Geller tells WebMD. "Your body does get rid of lead very slowly. So a small amount that gets in will be excreted. It is not a permanent blood level."

What to Do for Children With Lead Poisoning

Unfortunately, once a child has absorbed a dangerous amount of lead, there's no quick way to make the lead go away.

Children with dangerously high blood lead levels -- 45 micrograms/dL or more -- can be treated by chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun). Chelation involves giving a child one of two drugs that quickly remove lead from the blood.

Chelation can save the life of a child with acute lead poisoning. But it does not remove all lead from the body. Most ingested lead is stored in the bones and leaches back into the bloodstream -- and brain -- over time.

"Chelation stops lead poisoning from being life-threatening," Rosen says. "Has damage already been done to the brain? Yes. Chelation does not reverse the adverse effects of lead on the brain. What it does do is save lives. Chelation is of no value -- and may actually harm -- children with lead levels under 45 micrograms/dL."

The USPS panel notes that repeated chelation may temporarily lower blood lead levels, but these reductions are not sustained. The panel found no evidence that these temporary reductions improve health or behavioral outcomes.

What Is Lead Poisoning? continued...

To fully test children to see if there are any adverse outcomes from lead poisoning cannot be done until they reach their sixth birthday," Rosen says. "Many of these symptoms don't manifest until age 6 or 7 years. What a parent might know before that might well be some common complaints such as speech delay, hyperactivity, not being able to sit/listen/learn in school, and not being able to focus. Those observations may be the result of earlier childhood lead poisoning."

Is Your Child at Risk of Lead Poisoning? continued...

There is a sure way to know whether your child has accumulated dangerous amounts of lead: a simple blood test.

A recent U.S. Preventive Services (USPS) Task Force panel noted in a 2006 report that children's blood-lead levels usually peak at about age 2 and go down after that.

What to Do for Children With Lead Poisoning continued.

What does work? Rosen says the first thing to do is to have the child's pediatrician work with local health authorities to find and remove the source of lead poisoning.

Second, Rosen recommends making sure children with high lead levels get a diet rich in calcium and iron. This, he says, helps prevent intestinal absorption of lead and speeds elimination of lead from the body.

"We are recommending a diet replete in calcium-rich foods such as milk and cheese and iron-rich foods such as fresh green vegetables and some red meat," he says.

Rosen admits that frustrated parents may want to do more. But he says that if lead has been removed from the child's environment and the child gets a healthy diet, lead levels will naturally decrease over time.

Rosen also suggests that children who have had high blood lead levels should be assessed by a neuropsychologist at age 6 years to evaluate the need for educational interventions.

"I have supervised 30,000 cases of child lead poisoning, and I have not seen a case of symptomatic lead poisoning for many years," Rosen says.

01-08-2010, 11:41 AM	#644
skysidhe ~~Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.~~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 6,828	from webMD I looked up Lead Poisoning and found some other things I did not know. I thought maybe others may be interested too. Clod...When you say elevated levels of lead you do not mean lead poisoning correct? and as far as this article I found, lead levels are naturally higher at the age of two. and a well balanced diet helps eliminate lead and the effects of lead poisoning do not appear until the age of 6 according to this article. Do you disagree? Have your children had blood tests for lead poisoning? Information regarding lead poisoning from webMD http://children.webmd.com/news/20070...oning-and-kids Is Your Child at Risk of Lead Poisoning? continued... There is a sure way to know whether your child has accumulated dangerous amounts of lead: a simple blood test. Such tests cost about $15 or $20. Results come back in two days, says Emory University pediatrician Robert J. Geller, MD, medical director of the Georgia Poison Center and chief of pediatrics at Grady Health System, Atlanta. Rosen says, "To be cautious, if a child has been playing with a leaded toy for about one month or more, it is suggested that a child should be tested for lead." "The average American blood level is 2 to 3 micrograms/dL," Geller tells WebMD. "Your body does get rid of lead very slowly. So a small amount that gets in will be excreted. It is not a permanent blood level." What to Do for Children With Lead Poisoning Unfortunately, once a child has absorbed a dangerous amount of lead, there's no quick way to make the lead go away. Children with dangerously high blood lead levels -- 45 micrograms/dL or more -- can be treated by chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun). Chelation involves giving a child one of two drugs that quickly remove lead from the blood. Chelation can save the life of a child with acute lead poisoning. But it does not remove all lead from the body. Most ingested lead is stored in the bones and leaches back into the bloodstream -- and brain -- over time. "Chelation stops lead poisoning from being life-threatening," Rosen says. "Has damage already been done to the brain? Yes. Chelation does not reverse the adverse effects of lead on the brain. What it does do is save lives. Chelation is of no value -- and may actually harm -- children with lead levels under 45 micrograms/dL." The USPS panel notes that repeated chelation may temporarily lower blood lead levels, but these reductions are not sustained. The panel found no evidence that these temporary reductions improve health or behavioral outcomes. What Is Lead Poisoning? continued... To fully test children to see if there are any adverse outcomes from lead poisoning cannot be done until they reach their sixth birthday," Rosen says. "Many of these symptoms don't manifest until age 6 or 7 years. What a parent might know before that might well be some common complaints such as speech delay, hyperactivity, not being able to sit/listen/learn in school, and not being able to focus. Those observations may be the result of earlier childhood lead poisoning." Is Your Child at Risk of Lead Poisoning? continued... There is a sure way to know whether your child has accumulated dangerous amounts of lead: a simple blood test. A recent U.S. Preventive Services (USPS) Task Force panel noted in a 2006 report that children's blood-lead levels usually peak at about age 2 and go down after that. What to Do for Children With Lead Poisoning continued. What does work? Rosen says the first thing to do is to have the child's pediatrician work with local health authorities to find and remove the source of lead poisoning. Second, Rosen recommends making sure children with high lead levels get a diet rich in calcium and iron. This, he says, helps prevent intestinal absorption of lead and speeds elimination of lead from the body. "We are recommending a diet replete in calcium-rich foods such as milk and cheese and iron-rich foods such as fresh green vegetables and some red meat," he says. Rosen admits that frustrated parents may want to do more. But he says that if lead has been removed from the child's environment and the child gets a healthy diet, lead levels will naturally decrease over time. Rosen also suggests that children who have had high blood lead levels should be assessed by a neuropsychologist at age 6 years to evaluate the need for educational interventions. "I have supervised 30,000 cases of child lead poisoning, and I have not seen a case of symptomatic lead poisoning for many years," Rosen says. Last edited by skysidhe; 01-08-2010 at 11:49 AM.