Lead poisoning

Encyclopedia of Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by Linda Wasmer Smith

Changes in diet are no substitute for medical treatment. However, getting enough calcium, zinc, and protein may help reduce the amount of lead the body absorbs. Iron is also important, since people who are deficient in this nutrient absorb more lead. Garlic and thiamine, a B-complex vitamin, have been used to treat lead poisoning in animals. However, their usefulness in humans for this purpose has not been proved. Nutritional, botanical, and homeopathic medicines can be administered once the source is removed, to help correct any imbalances brought on by lead toxicity.

If acute lead poisoning reaches the stage of seizures and coma, there is a high risk of death. Even if the person survives, there is a good chance of permanent brain damage. The long-term effects of lower levels of lead can also be permanent and severe. However, if chronic lead poisoning is caught early, these negative effects can be limited by reducing future exposure to lead and getting proper medical treatment.

Many cases of lead poisoning can be prevented. These steps can help:

• Keep the areas where children play as clean and dust-free as possible.
• Wash pacifiers and bottles when they fall to the floor, and wash stuffed animals and toys often.
• Make sure children wash their hands before meals and at bedtime.
• Mop floors and wipe windowsills and other chewable surfaces, such as cribs, twice a week with a solution of powdered dishwasher detergent in warm water.
• Plant bushes next to an older home with painted exterior walls to keep children at a distance.
• Plant grass or another ground cover in soil that is likely to be contaminated, such as soil around a home built before 1960 or located near a major highway.
• Have household tap water tested to find out if it contains lead.
• Use only water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula, since hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead.
• If the cold water hasn't been used for six hours or more, run it for several seconds, until it becomes as cold as it will get, before using it for drinking or cooking. The more time water has been sitting in the pipes, the more lead it may contain.
• If you work with lead in your job or hobby, change your clothes before you go home.
• Do not store food in open cans, especially imported cans.
• Do not store or serve food in pottery meant for decorative use.

• Books
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screening Young Children for Lead Poisoning: Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 1997.
• Upton, Arthur C., and Eden Graber, eds. Staying Healthy in a Risky Environment: The New York University Medical Center Family Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Periodicals
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance--United States, Second Quarter, 1995." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 44(October 27, 1995): 801-803.
• Committee on Drugs, American Academy of Pediatrics. "Treatment Guidelines for Lead Exposure in Children." Pediatrics 96(July 1995): 155-160.
• Krucoff, Carol. "Lead Alert." Child (August 1996): 64-65, 67.
• Trachtenbarg, David E. "Getting the Lead Out." Postgraduate Medicine 99(March 1996): 201-202, 207-208, 211-214, 216, 218. Organizations
• National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mail Stop F-29, 4770 Buford Highway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30341-3724. (888) 232-6789. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ncehhome.htm.
• National Lead Information Center, National Safety Council. 1025 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036. (800) LEAD-FYI (general information), (800) 424-LEAD (detailed information or questions). http://www.nsc.org/ehc/lead.htm.
• Office of Water Resources Center, Environmental Protection Agency. Mail Code (4100), Room 2615 East Tower Basement, 401 M St. S.W., Washington, DC 20460. (800) 426-4791. http://www.epa.gov/ow/.>

Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Gale Research, 1999.