Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
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What is lead poisoning?

Being around lead too much can cause lead poisoning. A child with lead poisoning may:

• Have stomach pains.
• Vomit.
• Be confused.
• Have week muscles.
• Have seizures.
• Lose hair.
• Have anemia.

Some children have no symptoms.

Children who have lead poisoning need to see a doctor and be treated. Even small amounts of lead can cause problems. Lead poisoning causes brain damage that results in:

• Poor hearing.
• Problems learning to speak.
• Other learning problems.

Where does the lead come from?

Lead is most often found in houses built before 1960. These houses were painted with lead-based paint. (This is against the law now.)

When paint chips or peels:

• Young children can pick up these chips and chew them.
• They may swallow dust or soil with leaded paint in it.

When people remodel or repaint:

• This can put the old paint into the dust and soil.
• Young children put their hands in their mouths, suck their thumbs, and taste everything. This means they have a higher chance of getting lead into their bodies.

Other sources of lead are air, water, and food:

• There is less lead in the air now because we use unleaded gasoline.
• There may be lead in some drinking water. In the past, lead was used for water pipes.
• Lead can sometimes be found in fruit juice or in food stored in lead-glazed pottery.

How can I protect my child?

• Keep your child away from peeling paint. Peeling paint is common on windowsills.
• Wash your child's hands and face before she eats. If your child sucks his thumb or fingers, rinse his hands often.
• Rinse toys and pacifiers often.
• Wet-mop your hard surface floors.
• Close off any rooms you remodel.
• If you have leaded paint on the outside of your house, keep lead dust from being tracked into your house. Put a washable mat at each door. Make sure everyone wipes his or her feet. Ask everyone to take their shoes off before coming into the house.
• Take out the soil with lead and put in new soil. Plant bushes next to the walls so children cannot play there.
• Use water from your cold water tap. Let the water run for 2 minutes before you use it. You can have your water tested for lead.
• Do not store food or drink in pottery that has lead in the glaze.
• Make sure your child's diet has plenty of iron and calcium. Both of these minerals make it harder for the body to take in lead.
• Make sure that your child isn't around people who work with lead.