Lead
It is not enough to prepare our children for the world; we also must prepare the world for our children - Luis J. Rodriguez
image by: Michigan Municipal League
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The Long, Ugly History of the Politics of Lead Poisoning
Roughly 9,000 children under the age of six were exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water in Flint, Michigan, between April 2014 and October 2015. Thanks to a series of government failures, some of their lives will be forever changed by diminished IQ, damaged hearing, learning disabilities, and possibly increased criminality—the hallmarks of lead poisoning.
Sadly, those kids are not alone. Over the past century, tens of millions of children have been poisoned by lead, mainly by its presence in old household paint. And many more will be, thanks to the hundreds of tons of lead paint that remains on the walls of houses, apartment buildings, and workplaces across…
Resources
Has My Child Been Exposed To Lead? When And How To Test
The water contamination crisis in Flint, Mich., has driven increased attention to the need to test for lead exposure. But children can be exposed to lead from other sources, including paint, soil, toys and candy. More than half a million children ages 1 to 5 had high blood lead levels in 2010, according to the CDC. But as Hill discovered, lead testing can be confusing. We spoke with scientists and doctors to find out what Hill and other parents should know about lead testing in children.
'Silent Epidemic': Nearly 1 In 3 Kids Exposed To Damaging Levels Of Lead
About 1 in 3 children have been exposed to lead at levels shown to damage their health and cognitive development, according to a groundbreaking report that is the first to document the problem globally. The report, produced by UNICEF in partnership with Pure Earth, a global nonprofit that tackles toxic pollution in poor communities, "is the first report of its kind and it's important," says Katarzyna Kordas, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Buffalo who studies the effects of toxic metal exposures in children and was not involved in the study.
Crisis in Flint shows how far we’ve come on lead. And how far we need to go.
Forty years ago, the typical American child under 5 had a blood-lead level of 15 micrograms per deciliter. That was considered healthy. Today, children with a third that much lead in their blood are considered in danger — as in Flint, Mich., where public health officials are grappling with the fallout from contaminated water that has left dozens of kids with elevated blood-lead levels. The contrast shows just how much progress we’ve made in understanding the dangers of lead exposure and in driving down blood-lead levels.
Whatever Happened To ... The Kids Whose Lead Levels Were Off The Charts?
"It's not getting any better," agrees Richard Fuller, president of Pure Earth, an organization that identifies environmental toxins in poor communities and helps with cleanup. "I've been working on this town for 18 years. And when we looked at the place again recently, nothing has happened. It's really upsetting.
The devastating effects of childhood lead exposure could last a lifetime
Even moderate exposure might lower IQ.
The Facts About Lead Exposure and Its Irreversible Damage
Doctors recommend that children should be checked for lead with a blood test at age 1 and 2. But anyone at risk of exposure should be tested, including infants. Test results may not reflect the true extent of exposure, though, because lead does not linger in the blood for long before being absorbed by the bones and other organs.
We helped uncover a public health crisis in Flint, but learned there are costs to doing good science
As budding academics, we are proud that our group went “all in” for Flint. We provided accurate technical information that was desperately needed, developed legitimate research questions and uncovered government wrongdoing.
Danger Of Lead Contamination As Notre Dame Rebuilds
Reconstruction at Notre Dame Cathedral was suspended because of high lead levels in the area. Experts estimate melting windows and other structures sent tons of lead into the environment.
From bullets to poison: tales of toxic lead and what makes it so lethal
The metal’s curious chemistry and propensity to alter enzymes have disfigured royals, killed Romans and gained it notoriety for murders.
How a Feel-Good AI Story Went Wrong in Flint
More than a thousand days after the water problems in Flint, Michigan, became national news, thousands of homes in the city still have lead pipes, from which the toxic metal can leach into the water supply. To remedy the problem, the lead pipes need to be replaced with safer, copper ones. That sounds straightforward, but it is a challenge to figure out which homes have lead pipes in the first place.
Hundreds of Chinese kids are sickened by lead poisoning and the government blames it on pencil-chewing
Lead poisoning is among China’s most common pediatric health problems, igniting protests around China in recent years.
Lead and the Fall of Rome: A Bibliography
Since the nineteenth century, there have been sporadic suggestions that the large-scale use of lead in antiquity contributed to the fall of Rome through heavy-metal poisoning.
Lead exposure kills hundreds of thousands of adults every year in the US alone
Policies based on dangers of low-level lead exposure normally focus on children, and the IQ points they stand to lose when too much of the heavy metal reaches their developing brains. But lead also poses a less-discussed threat to adults: It attacks and damages a number of organs, especially the heart.
Lead In Water: What Are The Health Effects And Dangers?
Humans have long known that lead can cause detrimental health effects—some claim it contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. But the substance’s effects were first documented in children about a century ago, says Jay Schneider, a neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University. However, lead was still common in many household products—especially paint, in which it was used to add color and stability the mixture, until it was banned in 1978.
Lead isn’t just a big threat to kids. It’s also linked to heart deaths in adults
The heavy metal’s deadly, and largely ignored, effects on the heart.
Lead Paint, Lead Toys, Lead Dietary Supplements
The lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, are a tiny part of a huge problem.
Lead poisoning is back—and Flint’s not the only city that will suffer the consequences
What we witness in places like Flint is a reality where the health of primarily African-American communities is seen expendable by city authorities, for the sake of budget considerations. It reflects not simply a water supply that has been contaminated by lead, but a local government immersed in inhumanity.
Lead Poisoning Prevention
Lead is a heavy metal. It was used in many materials and products before the risk to young children was known. Certain products such as paints used in older houses before 1978, lead solder used in plumbing, and leaded gasoline were used before their harmful health effects were recognized.
Lead: A toxic legacy
There is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead exposure is likely to impair children's normal brain development, contribute to learning and behavioral problems, and lower IQs. Despite decades of progress in reducing children's exposure to lead, America continues to have a toxic legacy of lead.
Let Them Eat Lead
Am I only person who thinks the U.S. government looks demented - I'm thinking a DSM-approved schizophrenia diagnosis - when it comes to the poisonous element lead?
Pigeons May Predict Lead Contamination, Study Finds
Amid reignited fears about lead poisoning nationwide, the key to identifying solutions could lie in the common city pigeon. A study published on Monday in the journal Chemosphere found that Manhattan neighborhoods that had many children with elevated blood lead levels also had pigeons with elevated lead. The research suggests that scientists may be able to use the birds to predict lead contamination in the environment.
Piping as poison: the Flint water crisis and America’s toxic infrastructure
The best solution would be to replace our lead lines systematically and proactively, not just one crisis-beset city at a time. Until we do so, it’s a safe bet that more Flints lie on our horizon.
Potentially Toxic Levels Of Lead And Other Metals Found In E-Cigarette Vapor
Lessnau explained that nicotine vapor devices are used as harm reduction treatment for people who have trouble quitting tobacco products. "It is currently believed that vapor smoking has less exposure to harmful chemical substances. However, many delivery devices use heated metal coils and aerosolize metals such as lead, chromium, manganese, nickel, arsenic and others.
The 'Horrifying' Consequence of Lead Poisoning
Exposure to the toxin leads to higher risk of miscarriages, new research finds, in addition to other long-lasting effects.
The 'Other' Source Of Lead Contamination: Your Child's Toys
The truth is that we co-exist with low levels of lead in our environment—levels which are generally not harmful. Lead is naturally found at low levels in soil, water, food, the air we breathe and manufactured goods, as well as the dust found in our homes.
The devastating effects of childhood lead exposure could last a lifetime
We’ve known for more than fifty years that lead harms brain function, and child brain development in particular. In fact, these toxic effects were the driving impetus behind the EPA’s 1970s regulatory push to remove lead from gasoline.
The Poisoned Generation
The story of a decades-long lead-poisoning lawsuit in New Orleans illustrates how the toxin destroys black families and communities alike.
The risk of lead poisoning isn’t just in Flint. So we mapped the risk in every neighborhood in America.
Neighborhoods where kids face the highest risk of lead poisoning exist all across America. The trouble is that exposure risk is surprisingly difficult estimate, due to a variety of state-by-state differences in reporting standards. So we worked with epidemiologists in Washington state to estimate risk levels in every geographic area in America.
The West's toxic hypocrisy over lead paint
Rich countries banned deadly lead pigments years ago. So how come they export 28,000 tonnes a year to poorer countries...
Toxic Lead Contaminates Some Traditional Ayurvedic Medicines
These medicines, also known as bhasmas, come out of an Ayurvedic tradition practiced for thousands of years in India where highly toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium mix with herbs or spices. Saini says she won't sell them because her American customers have questioned the safety of those concoctions.
Treacherous Element
The most beautiful, practical, and poisonous uses of lead in history.
U.S. Cities Move to Curb Lead Poisoning
Public officials are advancing measures, such as more blood-lead screening and property inspections, to protect children from the toxic threat.
What Every Parent Needs to Know About Lead Poisoning
Lead contamination is not limited to water supply. Lead can contaminate the air, soil, and water through fossil fuels processes. People are exposed to lead in a number of ways, including lead-based paint, lead toys, contaminated food, and through contaminated soil.
The Long, Ugly History of the Politics of Lead Poisoning
Or, why the longest-lasting childhood epidemic in U.S. history wasn’t ever treated like one.
1.2 million children in the US have lead poisoning. We’re only treating half of them.
Several states are doing an abysmal job of testing at-risk children for lead poisoning.
4 Hidden Sources Of Toxic Heavy Metals That Can Harm Your Health
We can run, but we cannot hide, from all the toxins that rob us of our health and vitality in this industrial world. However, armed with adequate scientific information, we can avoid many toxins and strive for optimal health.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program is dedicated to eliminating childhood lead poisoning as a public health problem through strengthening blood lead testing, reporting, and surveillance, linking exposed children to recommended services, and targeted population-based interventions.
CDC
CDC continues to assist state and local childhood lead poisoning prevention programs, to provide a scientific basis for policy decisions, and to ensure that health issues are addressed in decisions about housing and the environment.
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Nearly 6 million households live with moderate to severe physical housing problems, including lead paint hazards, water intrusion, injury and safety risks, pests, heating, plumbing, and electrical deficiencies. These hazards increase the risk for illnesses and injuries including: asthma, falls, respiratory problems and lead poisoning.
Toxic Substances Portal
Exposure to lead can happen from breathing workplace air or dust, eating contaminated foods, or drinking contaminated water. Children can be exposed from eating lead-based paint chips or playing in contaminated soil. Lead can damage the nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive system. Lead has been found in at least 1,272 of the 1,684 National Priority List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
WHO
There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects. Lead exposure is preventable.
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