Lead danger to children

April 29, 1992
Issue 

By Monique Choy

SYDNEY - While adults who work around lead are routinely screened for blood lead levels and precautions are taken to prevent lead poisoning, children are not protected or screened although they are more susceptible.

Elizabeth O'Brien, spokesperson for the LEAD group (Lead Education and Abatement Designs), has been working to make child lead poisoning a higher priority for all levels of government. "It is essential that every preschool urban, smelter and mining community child in Australia be tested for lead", she says.

If children are not screened, lead poisoning will usually not be detected. The result is reduced intelligence, colic and, in extreme cases, death. Other effects of lead poisoning are anaemia, vomiting, hearing loss and stunted growth.

O'Brien first became interested in the lead problem when she began testing an area where she was planning to buy a house. She was shocked to discover levels as high as 100,000 mg/kg in the Summer Hill area, and decided to have her children's blood levels tested. Her youngest son, Harry, was found to have a level of 31 mg/dL, more than three times the international recommended safety level of 10 mg/dL.

Lead poisoning is more common in children both because they tend to ingest more lead and because their bodies use more of what they ingest. Children crawling on the ground often pick up lead on their hands and then put their fingers into their mouths. Although adults can ingest lead in similar ways, in industry precautions are taken.

O'Brien feels education is the best way to change the situation. "Lead workers have to wash their hands and wash under their fingernails before they have morning tea, and they've got signs up to tell them that."

When children start crawling at around nine months, it is very important to have them tested for lead. After around four years of age, children will not ingest so much lead because they are not so inclined to put things in their mouths. However, damage caused by lead in the early years can be long lasting and often permanent, particularly for intelligence and hearing.

The main sources of lead are petrol fumes, industry residues and flakes of lead-based paint. Many residential areas have been built on old industrial sites, including paint and pigment, crystal glass and battery casing plants.

In the United States, lead poisoning in children is a top priority problem, and information is available free from government-funded centres. Not so in Australia.

Elizabeth O'Brien found there is very little information on lead poisoning in children. A government-funded environmental health centre in Port Pirie, SA, produces handouts, and there are ken Hill and Victoria. O'Brien has collected a library of articles about lead which are available to members of LEAD.

She developed a range of hygiene, housekeeping and dietary measures to help her son. These include wet-mopping floors twice weekly to stop lead particles spreading. In her home, she asks guests to remove their shoes and walk over a towel to minimise lead being brought in. "You can save your child permanent damage by lowering their level instantly; it's just too late if you wait for the government to act", she says.

After Harry's blood lead came down to 15.7 mg/dL in only a few months, Elizabeth O'Brien began campaigning to make lead poisoning an issue for the government. She believes there are many poisoned children who will never be tested, and the government should introduce mandatory screenings, especially in high-lead areas. While levels of 10 mg/dL are considered serious, even 5 mg/dL can cause miscarriage or stillbirth in a pregnant woman.

She says the government should introduce screening rather than have to pick up the cost of dealing with illness later. The American Centre for Disease Control estimates that the cost of a child's blood lead level rising from 24 to 34 mg/dL is around US$16,101. This includes the cost of medical attention, special education and reduced lifetime earnings.

In addition to blood lead tests in children, LEAD is pressing for government incentives to encourage unleaded petrol. "It is a problem that you are attacking basically the poor end of the market with this idea, but I'm sure it is important enough that we get over that problem somehow." O'Brien points out that many cars made before 1986 are capable of running on either leaded or unleaded petrol, and everyone should check their cars against a list available from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

In the absence of government action, O'Brien proposes a seven- point plan for parents:

* Have blood tests on children aged 9-48 months.

* Immediately incorporate hygiene, housework and dietary measures into daily routines.

* Find out as much as possible. A good start is to read "Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children - A Statement by the Centres for Disease Control - October 1991".

* If necessary, perform an environmental survey on your home, yard and child-care centres.

* Act on the survey findings by safely removing or covering sources of lead.

* If renovating, do it safely. Remove lead-based paint before repainting.

* Lobby all levels of government for community education of an adequately funded lead task force, more rapid elimination of leaded petrol and legislation on lead emissions and control.

For more information about LEAD, contact Elizabeth O'Brien, (02) 550 0095.

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