Overview of Lead Poisoning
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about one in six children in America have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. You cannot see, taste or smell lead.
Until the discovery of its disastrous effects on health, lead was used in gasoline, pipes, paint and other common products. In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture and use of lead-based paint in residential housing. Unfortunately, the ban did not require removal of lead-based paint from surfaces previously coated with this dangerous neurotoxin. This means that dangerous lead paint remains in the millions of housing units that were painted with it before 1978. Lead is a problem until it is removed because it does not break down naturally. Since lead does not break down naturally, it can be present in your home's dust, paint or soil, or in your drinking water or your food until it is removed.
Today about 3 million tons of leaded paint remain in approximately 57 million occupied private housing units built prior to 1980. This represents approximately 74 percent of all such housing. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has stated that corrective actions for these homes have been a complete failure. Children easily get lead poisoning "just by being kids." By crawling on the floor or wiping hands on contaminated walls or windowsills, children can become victims. The long-term effects of lead poisoning in children can be very severe.
Children can suffer learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing and even brain damage. As in many other types of poisoning, the earlier that treatment is sought, the greater the possibility of reducing damage. Lead can pass through a pregnant woman's body to her baby, so it is very important to avoid lead exposure if you are pregnant.
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