SCRIPT NUMBER 86
LEAD POISONING
(TWO SPEAKERS)
PROGRAM NAME: HEALTH NUGGETS
PROGRAM TITLE: LEAD POISONING
PROGRAM NUMBER: 86
SUBJECT: CAUSES, PATHOLOGY, TREATMENT, PREVENTION OF LEAD
POISONING
KEY WORDS: CHEMICAL ELEMENT, CONTAMINATED, HINDER GROWTH,
SOLDERING COMPOUND, RENOVATE, LEAD-BASED PAINT,
FLAKING, PEELING, CHELATION
DATE OF SCRIPT: NOVEMBER 16, 2012
AUTHOR: RICHARD YUKL, MD, FACS
SPEAKER 1:
Today, we want to discuss a problem that is causing people
poor health all around the world – lead poisoning. Lead is a chemical element, a
metal that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. It was once used as a key
ingredient in such widely distributed products as paint and gasoline. Today it is
still widely used in the making of batteries, pipes, soldering compound, roofing
materials and some cosmetics.
SPEAKER 2:
When we are exposed to lead, it builds up for months and
years in both our bones and in our soft tissues. When our lead level becomes
high enough, it becomes poisonous to our body. We develop lead poisoning.
SPEAKER 1:
What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?
SPEAKER 2:
Lead poisoning can be hard to detect in its early stages.
Symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated.
People who seem perfectly healthy can have high levels of lead in their blood.
When symptoms do appear in adults, they include memory loss, headaches
along with mood disorders, high blood pressure, muscle weakness and pain,
along with numbness and tingling of the hands and feet.
SPEAKER 1:
I have heard that lead poisoning is particularly dangerous to
children. Why is that?
SPEAKER 2:
Children under the age of 6 are especially in danger of being
harmed by lead because their bodies are still developing. Even small amounts of
lead can hinder their physical growth, as well as delay their mental development.
Sadly, lead can damage a child’s brain and nervous system, and the damage is
irreversible. Aside from brain damage, other symptoms of lead poisoning in
children include irritability, a loss of appetite, belly pain along with vomiting and
constipation, weight loss and extreme tiredness. Extremely high lead levels can
cause seizures, unconsciousness and even death.
SPEAKER 1:
Lead is no longer used in making paint?
SPEAKER 2:
The use of lead in paint has been banned in countries such
as the United States and England since 1978, but it is still added to paint in some
countries, and it remains common in our environment. Even in countries where it
can no longer be added to new paint, lead-based paint can still be found on the
painted walls and woodwork of many older homes. Additionally, lead pipes,
brass plumbing fixtures and copper pipes soldered with lead can release lead
particles into tap water, and household dust can contain lead from old and flaking
lead paint, or from contaminated soil brought in from outdoors.
SPEAKER 1:
How are people most commonly exposed to lead?
SPEAKER 2:
Today, the most common source of lead exposure in adults
comes from living in a house whose walls are painted with lead-based paint, and
from the house dust of older buildings that have been contaminated with lead.
Most lead poisoning in children results from the child eating flakes of lead-based
paint that have peeled off the walls, and toys made with lead-based paint.
Children eat them because they taste sweet.
SPEAKER 1:
Is lead poisoning hard to diagnose?
SPEAKER 2:
Doctors can diagnose lead poisoning using a simple blood
sample taken from your finger or from a vein. A lead blood level can be
measured directly.
SPEAKER 1:
How can I protect myself and my family against the harmful
effects of lead poisoning?
SPEAKER 2:
The most important thing to remember about the dangers of
lead poisoning is that we must protect our children. Even though people of any
age, race, or economic level can get lead poisoning, children are at the greatest
risk. They are more likely to absorb lead because they place their hands and toys
painted with lead-based paint into their mouths. Tragically, the lead can
permanently damage their developing brains and nervous systems, causing
serious problems with language and intelligence.
Protection against the harmful effects of lead depends, to a great degree, on the
prevention of lead exposure. Both adults and children who have relatively low
levels of lead elevation in their bodies can lower those levels, in time, to a safer
range by simply avoiding further lead exposure. Even if it is not possible to
remove all the lead from your environment, you can do some things to lower your
exposure to it. For example, you may not be able to remove all of the old leadbased paint from your house, but you can at least seal it in. Don’t attempt to
remove the lead-based paint by sanding, because that creates large amounts of
small particles. And, don’t remove the old paint using an open-flame torch,
because the flame produces lead particles small enough to breathe into your
lungs. If the paint is not flaking and peeling, just paint over it with modern paint.
SPEAKER 1:
What else can I do to protect my family?
SPEAKER 2:
Other simple protective measures include hand washing.
Washing your children's hands after they play outdoors, before they eat and at
bedtime will help reduce their hand-to-mouth transfer of contaminated dust and
soil. Also, cleaning your floors with a wet mop and wiping your furniture,
windowsills and other dusty surfaces with a damp cloth helps. If your house has
older plumbing containing lead pipes or fittings, run your cold water for at least a
minute before using it, and don't use hot tap water to make baby formula and for
cooking. If you have suffered severe lead contamination, you may need medical treatment
called chelation therapy. Your doctor will give you medicine that combines with
the lead that is present in your blood, allowing your body to remove it by passing
it through your urine. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to reverse the damage
that has already occurred.
SPEAKER 1:
Health Nuggets is written by Dr. Richard Yukl, a medical
doctor working in the United States. The medical views expressed in this
program are his and may differ for your particular health needs. If you need
medical advice, please consult a medical professional in your area.