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Lead poisoning occurs when a person has too much lead in his or her body. A blood lead test tells the amount of lead in a person’s body. Children under the age of 6 are much more sensitive to lead than adults. Experts currently reference a level of 5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) to identify children with higher blood lead levels than most other children.
Pregnant women exposed to lead can transfer lead to their fetuses. Lead gets into the body when it is inhaled or swallowed. Adults should keep their blood lead levels less than 5 μg/dL.
Adults should try to keep their blood lead levels and their children’s blood lead levels as low as possible.
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Paint in poor condition is usually the source of childhood lead poisoning in Iowa. Household dust in older homes often contains lead from old paint. This dust gets on children’s hands, toys, bottles and pacifiers. Children can be lead poisoned if they:
- Put dusty or dirty hands, toys, bottles or pacifiers in their mouths.
- Breathe in dust from lead-based paint that is being disturbed.
The soil around older homes may also be contaminated with lead-based paint chips or dust. Children may be come lead poisoned if they:
- Play in dirt or a sandbox near an old building or where an old building was torn down.
- Put the dirt or sand in their mouths.
- Put their hands or toys that have been in the dirt or sandbox in their mouths.
In Iowa, lead-based paint chips and dust found between the inside window sash and the screen/storm window cause many cases of childhood lead poisoning. This can occur when:
- Children who are teething chew on windowsills.
- Paint chips and dust sticks to a child’s hands and toys, which are then put into the child’s mouth.
If renovation work is being performed on a home built before 1960, children and pregnant women should leave the area before repair work begins and should be prohibited from returning to the area until the work area has been completely cleaned.
Many original windows in homes built before 1960 have peeling or chipping lead based paint in this area.
Most lead poisoned children do not show any signs of the disease.
Some, however, may have the following symptoms:
- Poor muscle coordination
- Easily excited
- Not able to pay attention
- Stomach aches
- ore tired than usual
- Speech, language and
- Decreased muscle and behavior problems bone growth
- Hearing damage
Lead-poisoned children may have learning and behavior problems as they grow older. Children with very high lead levels may develop seizures, become unconscious or even die.
Lead poisoning is especially dangerous to children because:
- Young children’s bodies absorb more lead than older children and adults.
- Young children can easily be damaged by even small amounts of lead.
No amount of lead in your blood is a healthy amount. In children, lead poisoning can cause:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Behavioral problems
- Anemia
- Liver and kidney damage
- Hearing loss
- Seizures
- Hyperactivity
- Developmental delays
- In extreme cases, death
Even children who appear healthy can have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies.
Adults are lead-poisoned by breathing lead fumes and lead dust. They can also get lead dust on their hands, face and clothes, and swallow it if they eat, smoke, or apply cosmetics without washing their hands and face.
Most Iowa adults with elevated blood lead levels are exposed by working with lead. Lead is found in many types of work, including metals refining, battery manufacturing, construction and demolition, commercial or residential renovation, repair and painting, scrap metal and electronics recycling, radiator repair, road and bridge work, and manufacturing equipment containing metals.
Some adults have been lead-poisoned doing renovation, painting or repair work because they did not use lead-safe work practices.
Some adults are lead-poisoned by hobbies like target shooting, casting or reloading ammunition, stripping furniture, and art projects. Adults may also be exposed to lead if they use supplements or herbal products that are not regulated by the FDA.
Some types of health problems adults with lead exposures may have:
- Trouble remembering and concentrating
- Depression
- Tire easily, muscular weakness and abdominal pain
- Headaches or irritability
- Mood disorders
- Unable to sleep
- High blood pressure
- Pain, numbness or tingling of extremities
- Kidney (renal) problems
- Fertility problems (men and women)
- Digestive problems
Adults are more likely to have symptoms if their blood lead levels are very high or go up quickly. However, even low level or chronic lead exposure can cause health problems or make existing problems worse. Be sure to talk to your medical provider if you are exposed to lead at work or at home. You may need regular blood lead testing to monitor your exposure. Visit: idph.iowa.gov and search for adult lead.
Iowa’s rate of lead poisoning is still a significant problem.
- Homes with lead hazards exist in both rural and urban areas.
- Roughly 70% of the homes in Iowa were built before 1978.
- Roughly 45% of homes in Iowa were built before 1960.
Older homes, especially those built before 1960, are more likely to contain lead-based paint and lead-based hazards.
The only way to tell if a person is lead-poisoned is to get a blood lead test.
All Iowa children under the age of six years should be tested regularly for lead poisoning.
Children enrolled in Medicaid are required to be tested for lead at ages 1 and 2 (minimum). Iowa Code requires that all children have at least one lead test before starting kindergarten. Ask your health care provider to do a blood lead test whenever your child has a check-up.
Many children have normal blood lead levels at 6-12 months of age. However, these same children may become lead-poisoned when they are older and more active. It’s important to get their blood lead tested at least once a year until they are 6 years old.
If you work with lead on the job, your employer may be required to provide blood lead testing or you may ask your family doctor to order a blood lead test. Consider getting tested if you have recently remodeled or removed paint in an older home. See the IDPH Adult Lead website for more information at XXXX.