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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COALITION
LEAD POISONING PREVENTION FACT SHEET
- Lead poisoning is one of the most common and preventable environmental health hazards today. Despite our knowledge of the sources and impacts of lead poisoning, children continue to be exposed at an unacceptable rate.
- Lead is a neurotoxin that can be found in old paint, soil, pottery and other unexpected places, especially imported products.
- A child's innocent play or other exposure to lead or lead dust can lead to permanent physical, mental and behavioral problems that may hinder learning in school.
- Approximately 100 children a year are reported with elevated blood lead levels in San Diego County. (However, not all at-risk children are being tested, and of those tested, not all elevated levels are being reported).
LEAD-BASED PAINT NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF LEAD POISONING IN SAN DIEGO CHILDREN
- Although the Consumer Product and Safety Commission banned the manufacture of lead-based paint in 1978, a 1991 American Housing Survey conducted by the Bureau of Census and Department of Urban Development concluded that 75% of America's housing stock was built prior to 1978 when the ban took effect.
- A 1997 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showed elevated lead levels in children vary significantly by the age of housing: 13% of Mexican American children living in pre-1946 housing tested positive, while only 2.3% of Mexican American children living in housing built between 1946 and 1973 and 1.6% of those living in pre-1973 housing tested positive.
- San Diego County ranks fourth in the state behind Los Angeles, San Francisco and Alameda as having the most (4.9%) housing units constructed prior to 1950.
- The County of San Diego Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) estimates (from the 1990 Census Data) that 65,496 children under 6 in San Diego County live in pre-1960 housing.
TESTING CHILDREN TO "GET THE LEAD OUT"
Children need to be tested because:
- Lead is recognized as the single most significant environmental health threat to American children, according to the National Research Council publication, "Lead Exposure in Infants, Children, and other Sensitive Populations."
The toxicity of lead in relatively small doses (as low as 10micrograms/decilitre 10µg/dL) is associated with learning disabilities, poor attention spans, and lower IQ scores.
An estimated 10,600 children in San Diego County have blood lead levels equal or greater to 10µg/dL according to the County of San Diego Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
- EHC recently released the results of a community-based health survey conducted in the high risks neighborhoods of Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights, Logan Heights and National City and found that 50% of all survey children have had a blood test to assess possible lead poisoning. While this is higher than state and national averages, it is still well below EHC's goal of universal testing. 12% of those tested had positive results, indicating the urgent need to increase lead poisoning screening.
IMPACTS OF CHILDHOOD LEAD POISONING
Children are at the highest risk due to their frequent hand-to-mouth behavior; small stature; rapidly developing nervous system and high absorption of lead as compared to adults. Blood lead levels considered to indicate toxicity have progressively shifted downward:
- before 1960 - 60µg/dL was considered toxic
- 1978 - 30µg/dL
- 1985 - 25µg/dL
- 1990 - 10µg/dL
At low levels studies have shown that lead poisoning may cause:
- neurological deficits
- development delays
- interference with growth and hearing
- lower IQ scores
- hyperactivity or disruptive behavior, easily excitable or upset; unable to concentrate
- difficulties in school
At moderate levels impacts of lead poisoning include:
- stomachache and cramps
- frequent vomiting
- poor appetite
- constipation
- headache
- fatigue
- irritability and behavior problems
- learning difficulties
- sleep disorders
At high levels impacts include those listed above, but may also cause:
- convulsions or seizures
- coma
- paralysis
- death
To eradicate lead poisoning, lead hazards must be abated in a safe and effective manner. Community level intervention includes:
- screening and surveillance: collect data on blood lead levels, conduct environmental surveys, collect demographic data
- risk assessment and integrated prevention planning: risk assessment involves using all available data to evaluate community lead hazards, primary intervention should involve representatives from the private and public sectors and include outreach and education programs, infrastructure development and hazard reduction
- outreach and education - must take place during every phase of community activity; involve public and private sectors and many agencies and people in various professions, including those related to real estate.
- infrastructure development: includes regulations and rules on removing lead, trained inspection and abatement contractors, temporary housing for families whose homes are undergoing abatement, financial resources for lead poisoning prevention activities
- hazard reduction and elimination: involves a number of activities directed at multiple environmental sources and pathways, abatement resources should be targeted to the highest risk neighborhoods and homes, goal of hazard abatement is the systematic elimination of lead hazards in the community.