CLPP Children and Lead Poisoning - WA State Dept. of Health

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Children and Lead Poisoning
What is lead poisoning? What is the primary cause of lead poisoning for young children? Who is at risk for lead poisoning? What are symptoms of lead poisoning? How can I protect my child from lead poisoning? Who should be tested for lead poisoning? How is the testing done for lead poisoning? What do the blood lead test results mean? What if my child has lead poisoning? Related Resources

What is lead poisoning?

Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body. Anyone can get lead poisoning by breathing or swallowing dust that contains lead. Your body does not have a use for lead. When it is absorbed, it affects almost every body system. Even a small amount of lead can be harmful.

Children are most at risk for lead poisoning and are most sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Lead can interfere with normal brain development, resulting in permanent reduced IQ and behavioral problems. Extremely high levels of lead poisoning in children can cause delayed or reduced physical development, seizures or coma, and possibly death.

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What is the primary cause of lead poisoning for young children?

Most children who have lead poisoning were exposed to household dust containing lead from lead-based paint. Prior to 1978, and especially before 1950, lead was a common additive to house paint. Homes painted with lead-based paint present an ongoing risk to children—lead dust is created as painted surfaces break down over time and when paint is disturbed in remodeling by sanding and scraping. Windows, doors, steps, and porches are areas where surfaces may rub together and make lead dust. Lead dust gets on children's hands and toys, and children can be exposed when they put their hands and toys in their mouths.

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Who is at risk for lead poisoning?

Anyone can get lead poisoning. However, children six years old and younger are most at risk of lead poisoning, because:

Children’s rapidly developing bodies absorb more lead than the body of mature adults.
Young children explore their environment by placing objects in their mouths. These objects can have lead dust on them.
Young children play inside on floors where lead dust is likely to collect and outside in soil that can be lead-contaminated.

Pregnant women may also be at risk from lead exposure because lead may have an effect on the development of the baby and on the health of the mother.

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What are symptoms of lead poisoning?

There may be no symptoms. Children can be exposed to and affected by lead and not act or look sick. Many children who are exposed to lead look and act healthy. Sometimes the vague symptoms may be mistaken for other illnesses such as stomach upset or flu. Because of this, lead poisoning may go unrecognized. A blood test is the only way to find out if a child has lead poisoning.

At higher levels, lead poisoning may cause nausea, abdominal pain, irritability, persistent tiredness or hyperactivity, headache, memory and concentration problems, insomnia, constipation, vomiting or poor appetite.

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How can I protect my child from lead poisoning?

Washing hands and toys, along with keeping the home clean can help prevent a child’s exposure to lead. Parents can protect their children from lead poisoning by reducing exposure to possible sources of lead and by promoting good nutrition and healthy habits.

Wash your children’s hands often, especially before eating or sleeping and after playing outside. This will reduce the chance of lead dust entering their mouth.
Find out when your house was built. Homes built before 1978 may have been painted with lead-based paint. Frequently inspect your home for signs of chipping, peeling or deteriorating paint. Clean up paint chips immediately and keep paint in good condition. Look for painted areas where surfaces may rub together and create lead dust (such as window and door frames).
Wash toys, stuffed animals, bottles and pacifiers often to remove lead dust.
Clean areas where children play. Regularly wet-wipe floors, windowsills, porches and other surfaces to remove lead dust. Carefully clean friction or impact surfaces such as windows, doors, and cabinets.
Clean or remove shoes before entering the home to avoid tracking in soil that may contain lead.
Feed your child healthy nutritious foods high in iron, calcium and vitamin C. Children with good diets absorb less lead.
Learn more about how to protect your child from common sources of lead.

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Who should be tested for lead poisoning?

Talk to your health care provider about whether you or your child needs to be tested for lead. Your health care provider may ask you some questions to see if your child is at risk for lead poisoning. The only way to know for sure if your child has been exposed to lead is to have their blood tested. Blood tests are used to find out how much lead is in a child’s blood.

If any of the following are true, your child could be at risk for lead poisoning and you should speak to your health care provider about a blood lead test:

My child lives in, or regularly visits a home built before 1978 that:

has peeling or chipping paint
is now being remodeled
was recently remodeled

My child has:

chewed old painted surfaces
licked or chewed vinyl mini-blinds
put metal or painted toys or jewelry in their mouth
been given the traditional remedies Azarcon, Greta, Paylooah, or the cosmetic Kohl
a brother, sister, or playmate with lead poisoning
recently immigrated or been adopted from another country
used pottery or ceramics made in other countries for cooking, storing, or serving food or drink

Someone who lives in my house works at:

remodeling older homes
refinishing furniture
a battery factory or recycling plant
a metal products factory (lead or brass)
a lead mining or smelting operation
a chemical factory
a radiator repair shop
an indoor firing range

Someone who lives in my house does one of these things at home:

stained glass
pottery with lead glazes
making fishing weights
reloading ammunition
soldering with lead solder

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How is the testing done for lead poisoning?

A health care provider will test your child's blood for lead. The blood lead level will tell how much lead your child has been exposed to in the last few months. There is no totally safe level of lead for children.

The test is simple. To find out how much lead is in a child’s blood, a small amount of blood is taken from the child’s arm or finger.

Taking blood from a child’s finger is called a finger-stick or a capillary test. You may be able to get the results that day. If your child’s lead level is considered high, you may be asked to follow up on the capillary test with a venous blood test, which can be more accurate.
The other test in which blood is taken from an arm vein (venous blood test) involves drawing blood into a tube and sending it to a lab. There could be a wait-time of several days to receive the results back from the lab.

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What do the blood lead test results mean?

The amount of lead found in a child’s blood is called a blood lead level. A blood lead level test will tell if a child has been exposed to lead in the last 3–4 months. Blood lead tests tell how many micrograms (millionth of a gram) of lead are in each deciliter (tenth of a liter) of a child’s blood (µg/dL). There is no totally safe level of lead for children. Blood lead levels can range from typical (below 2 µg/dL) to very dangerous (above 20 µg/dL).

For detailed explanations of test results and steps for preventing lead poisoning in children, download the Department of Health’s fact sheet, What Does Your Child’s Lead Test Result Mean?

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What if my child has lead poisoning?

If your child’s blood lead level is above average, your health care provider should talk to you about how to reduce the level. Your health care provider should then test your child’s blood lead level every few months until the level drops into the average range.

Fortunately, only a small number of babies and children have high enough levels of lead in their blood that they need treatment. If your child’s blood lead level is very high, your doctor will treat your child with medicine to lower the amount of lead in the blood.

If one or more of your children has high blood lead levels, your doctor may call your local health department. Persons from the health department can help by inspecting your home for possible lead exposures and will work with you to reduce the sources.

Feed your child a diet that will help protect them from lead. Lead absorption is increased when there is not enough iron or calcium in a child's diet. Give your child healthy foods, high in calcium, iron and vitamin C, and low in fat. Remember to wash your child's hands often, especially before meals and after playing outside.

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