Transcript Lead Poisoning Prevention

Lead Poisoning Awareness
What Everyone
Needs to Know…
Lead
Lead is highly toxic to humans, especially
young children. It has no known
physiological value to the human
body…exposure to lead should be avoided.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Lead Poisoning
• A very serious but
preventable health problem
• Nearly 1 million U.S.
children under age 6 have
lead poisoning (elevated
blood lead levels)
• Even children who seem
healthy may have high
levels of lead in their blood
2.2 percent of American
children age 1-5 years
have blood levels of lead
measuring at least 10
micrograms per deciliter.
—Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
How Does Lead Get into Our
Bodies?
Through a
variety of
sources and
pathways!
paint and paint dust the
most common sources
Consumption and Absorption
of Lead
1. Ingestion
–
–
–
Children have a lot of hand to mouth activity; lead goes
through Gastro Intestinal Tract (GIT)
Pica (repetitive consumption of a non-food item such as dirt
0r paint chips) is one of the worst risk factors
Lead leaks into water from lead-based pipes
NOTE: Lead absorption is enhanced if diet is poor in iron or
calcium.
2. Dust! Lead can be inhaled
3. Tetraethyl lead (i.e., lead-based gasoline used prior to
1980) can be absorbed via skin (less common)
Who’s most at
Risk and Why
• Children under 6
– Brains and nervous systems
are more sensitive to
damaging effects
– Growing bodies absorb more
lead
– Babies and young children
often put hands and objects in
their mouths; objects or
hands could have lead dust
• Pregnant Women
– Lead enters fetus through
placenta and affects fetal
development
Lead Poisoning Health Effects
• Affects nearly every system
of the body
• Especially harmful to
developing brain and
nervous system of children
under 6 years old
• Damage may be permanent
(not always)
Lead’s Effects on Children’s
Bodies
Low lead levels
• Decreased
intelligence
• Behavioral
problems
• Decreased growth
• Impaired hearing
and speech
• Poor muscle
coordination
Moderate lead levels
• Damage to brain
and nervous
system
• Damage to liver
• Damage to
kidneys
High lead levels
• Deafness
• Blindness
• Coma
• Convulsions
• Death (in rare
cases)
Effects of Lead on Children’s
Bodies
Lead poisoning is linked to:
• Developmental delays
• Learning disabilities
• Behavior problems
Lead-exposed children are
more likely to have
• Lower IQs
• Reading difficulties
• Poor vocabulary
• Attention problems
• Poor fine-motor
coordination
• Adverse behavior
Effects of Lead on Children’s
Bodies
In Older Children:
• Greater school absenteeism
• Lower class ranking
• Greater risk of becoming school dropouts
• Higher delinquency rates
Effects of Lead on Adults
Adults can also be affected by lead poisoning:
• fertility problems
• high blood pressure
• digestive problems
• nerve disorders
• memory and concentration
• aggression or irritability
• muscle and joint pain
Lead Hazards:
Major Sources of Lead Poisoning
Dust and chips from lead-based
paint
– Children may eat dust that
accumulates on hands,
toys, furniture, floor,
window sills, porches
– Children may inhale lead
dust or fumes, common
during renovations
– Contaminated soil
Where is lead-based paint
found?
1950
• approximately 90% of all residential dwellings
contain lead-based paint
1950-1978
• use of lead-based paint in dwellings diminished
1978
• lead-based paint banned
Where is lead-based paint
found?
1. Many homes and apartment buildings built before
1978
– Lead-based paint that is peeling, chipping, chalking,
cracking
• Windows and window sills
• Doors and door frames
• Stairs, railings, banisters, porches
2. Lead dust
– Formed when lead-based paint is scraped, sanded or
heated, often during renovation of a home
3. Soil around a home or building
Lead Hazards:
Other Sources of Lead Poisoning
• Lead dust from adult workplaces
• Drinking water contaminated by lead
pipes or lead solder
• Lead-glazed dinnerware or lead crystal
• Imported mini-blinds (coloring)
• Batteries
• Adult hobbies
– Bullets
– Fishing sinkers
Lead Hazards:
Other Sources of Lead Poisoning
• A variety of imported
products such as South Asian
folk remedies or and candy
made Mexico
• Some cosmetics
• Toys (rare)
• Jewelry, including toy
jewelry for promotional
products or items sold in
vending machines
Testing for Lead Poisoning
• Lead-poisoned children do
not always show obvious
symptoms
• Simple blood test can detect
lead poisoning
• Children under 6 should be
screened by health
professional
Lead Poisoning Prevention and
Treatment
Reduce the
hazards in
the home!
Wash hands
frequently!
Lead Poisoning Prevention and
Treatment
• Parents and guardians should check child’s environment (not just
the home) for sources of lead:
– Daycare
– Preschool
– Playground
– Friends’ or relatives’ homes
• Remove sources and/or keep
child away from them
– Clean up paint chips
– Clean floors, window frames, window sills and other surfaces weekly
Lead Poisoning Prevention and
Treatment
• Follow safe cleaning practices
– Pregnant women should not clean up lead dust
– Keep children and pets away
– Wear plastic gloves to remove paint chips
– Damp mop and damp dust frequently
– Use vacuum equipped with HEPA filter for floors
and drapes
Lead Poisoning Prevention
and Treatment
• Ensure a balanced diet to help reduce
lead’s damaging effect; diet should be
• Low in fat
• Have adequate iron, calcium, and
zinc
• Lead pipes -- let water run until cold
• Know what to look for and where to go Children with poor
for more information (see handout) diets are of greater
risk of lead
poisoning
Lead Poisoning Prevention Know the Law
• Maryland Law
– Properties older than 1950 MUST have a valid lead inspection
certificate
– Maryland Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Law
• property owners must
– Reduce lead paint hazard in rental properties older than 1950
– Register properties with Maryland Department of the
Environment’s (MDE) Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
– Provide tenants with lead educational materials.
Children in compliant properties are less
likely to have lead poisoning
Lead Poisoning Prevention Know the Law
Maryland Law - Tenant Rights:
• Property owner must give tenant the Notice of Tenant Rights, the EPA
brochure, “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home”, and a copy
of the lead inspection certificate for the unit on or before the day you
move in.
• When a tenant moves in to a unit, there should be
– No chipping, peeling or flaking paint
– Smooth and cleanable window wells, window sills, and floors
– Doors that open and close smoothly
– Floors and windows that have been HEPA vacuumed and wet
washed, removing lead dust.
• Protection and Services for non-compliant property owners
(see handout for resource on where to get more info)
Lead Poisoning Prevention Know the Law
When lead hazard reduction is required…
only contractors and workers accredited
by the Maryland Department of the
Environment can perform lead hazard
reduction work
Why Should
Lead Poisoning
Matter to Me?
Credits
University of Connecticut
School of Family Studies Mary-Margaret Gaudio
Cooperative Extension
University of Connecticut
www.cyfernet.org/interactrain/preventlead.html
State of Maryland
http://www.mde.state.md.us/Programs/LandPrograms/LeadCoordination/tenant
s/index.asp
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/lead
Lead the Way Against Lead (Lead Education and Abatement Design Group),
Dr. Ben Balzer, September, 2006)