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Item: Testing finds lead in children: Material detected in 6 percent; levels are high for two kids/Mike Prager, SR
More Info: The first widespread testing for lead exposure among Spokane children found that 6 percent of those tested had ingested measurable amounts of toxic lead. Workers found that 32 children among 500 tested had lead in their blood, but only two of them had levels high enough to be of concern under federal health standards. The results in Spokane are consistent with previous tests in Washington state that found fewer than 1 percent of children have lead levels at or above the federal standard for concern of 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood.
Question: Would you recommend that individuals who live in older homes get their children tested — just to be safe? Or is this simply another instance of a potential public health problem that affects too few to worry about?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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amyisnow on May 08 at 9:32 a.m.
Lead exposure in children and adults occurs from many sources - most more prominent than lead paints found in older homes.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/Lead_Exposure.htm
Additionally, blood test levels really only reflect current exposure and do not accurately reflect total body burden of lead toxicity.
No amount of lead is safe for children and lead exposure is proven to be linked to developmental delays and disabilities.
Everyone is exposed to lead (and numerous other toxins and heavy metals) everyday - we should all be concerned because it really affects more that “just a few”.
Liz on May 08 at 4:30 p.m.
lead testing is the law in Massachusetts, where my first child was born and lived the first four years of her life (remember from a day or so ago that MA is one of the most regulated states…just a tie in there…)