The past year was plagued by stories of unwanted chemicals lurking in children’s products
everywhere from toys to baby bottles. Although it may all seem rather hopeless, the media attention has brought some good out of the increased awareness. A new report found that kid’s lead levels are going down.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that far fewer kids have elevated levels of lead in their blood. When compared with rates in 1998 when 9% of children had high lead levels, the new statistics are down to only 1.4%. Lead is a heavy metal found in the environment and consumer products but serves no purpose in the human body. In adults small amounts of lead are not considered dangerous but can be very harmful to babies and young children.
Levels of at least 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood are considered high, but there currently no known “safe″ levels. The study authors 
note, however, that even minimal amounts of lead can cause health problems including attention and behavior issues. Lead can disrupt the normal development of the nervous system causing permanent difficulties with memory and learning.
Although the researchers consider the vast drop a “remarkable decline″, they also emphasize that the study results should not cause a lag in continuing efforts to get children tested for lead and reduce children’s environmental lead exposure noting that no child should have high lead levels. Great strides have been made in reducing lead in children’s toys as well as soil and other environmental exposures.
What You Can Do
Most lead ingestion comes from the paint in houses made prior to 1978 before the use of lead-based paint in homes was banned, so the CDC advises expecting women and children to avoid any pre 1978 homes undergoing renovation. The current recommendation for lead testing in children is at 1 and 2 years of age and should be discussed with a pediatrician.
To further reduce kids’ lead exposure, the CDC also recommends:
- Frequent washing of floors windowsills
- Frequent washing of children’s hand and their toys
- Avoiding the use of hot tap water for drinking, making infant formula, and cooking as hot water generally contains higher lead levels than cold water
Tags: lead
