Lead Poisoning
The earth naturally contains the heavy metal lead. It has been extensively utilized in products throughout history, which resulted in extensive dissemination into the environment. Lead may also corrode from old pipes, fixtures, or solder and end up in drinking water. To limit exposures through drinking water, the Safe Drinking Water Act lowered the quantity of lead that was previously permitted in pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fixtures, and solder in 1986.
When lead accumulates in the body, frequently over months or years, lead poisoning results. Lead can have harmful effects on one's health even at low concentrations. Lead poisoning can have a serious negative impact on a child's physical and mental development, and it is particularly dangerous for children under the age of six. Lead poisoning can be lethal at very high concentrations. Children frequently get lead poisoning from ancient buildings' lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust. Air, water, and soil contamination are other possibilities. Adults who perform home renovations, operate with batteries, or work in auto repair facilities may also be exposed to lead.
Sometimes there are no clear instant symptoms of lead poisoning. It may have an impact on the development of hearing and speech, the kidneys and other organs, and the stomach. It is most well-known for its negative effects on the nervous system, which affect neuronal development and result in long-term harm. Lead exposure can impact the brain during the first two years of life, when development is most important, and can cause learning and attention impairments, aggression, as well as behavioral and social/emotional issues. Additionally, it can impair IQ and change a child's future employment prospects.
The statistics presented in figure 1 pertain to children less than 6 years of age (0–5 years), even though Texas law mandates reporting of ALL blood lead test results (both elevated and non-elevated), regardless of age; the risk for lead exposure is typically higher for this age group.
A 5-year trend of lead testing in Texas is shown in Figure 1. From 2013 to 2015, more kids were examined, and from 2016 to 2017, fewer kids were tested on average. 346,877 kids in this age range had blood lead readings for 2017 delivered to BLSB.
Figure 1: 5-year trend of lead testing in Texas
According to Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS, 2019), 28,358 children of age 0-5 year olds were tested for lead poisoning. Out of the 28,358, 515 children we tested positive for lead poisoning. Also in the same year 2019, 1,774 children of age 6-14 were tested for lead poisoning and 60 children were tested positive. Rate of elevation is higher as the child start growing up.
Sesame Street in 2021 had posted informative video on youtube saying "Lead Away" partnering with United Health Care. This video explains why we have to stay away from lead and what happens when the lead enters to our body. The presenter in this video provides preventive measures getting away from the lead exposure.
There are genuine risks associated with lead exposure, which is frequently brought on by sources like household paint, soil, and tap water. The main way that Americans are exposed directly to lead is through contaminated water. It also has the worst effects. The EPA issues a warning that drinking water exposure to lead can result in cancer, high blood pressure, and renal disease in adults as well as impaired physical or neurological development in newborns and children. In light of this, lead contamination needs to be addressed carefully and right away. This kind of action might be unaffordable for cities and municipalities with tight budgets, like Flint. The first thing to evaluate is the age and extent of restoration of a home's pipes, and lower-income households could only be able to afford that are in worse conditions of deterioration.
Exposure to lead can result from contact with commercial products, household dust, soil, or water that contains lead. Lead poisoning can develop over the course of several months or years if exposure is prolonged.
Soil- Studies indicate that between four and five million tons of lead used in gasoline are still present in soil and dust, which is a worry for soils near busy areas (Schwarz K, 2016). Dallas County is one of the busiest and under construction city in the United States, more concentration of lead is to be there in busy traffic soil.
Water- While it is uncommon for lead to be discovered in lakes and other natural water sources, if old pipes are left in place and start to corrode, lead may find its way into the water supply and domestic plumbing. Even if the pipes themselves are not made of lead, this is still true. Metal pipes were frequently connected using leaded solder up until 1986 in the US including Dallas County's houses. Therefore, the solder used to join the pipes may have excessively high levels of lead even if the pipes themselves have less lead than the legal limit of 8%. In reality, there is no way to know unless the water is tested.
Also, animals' ability to produce red blood cells is inhibited by lead's effects on the central nervous system. In domestic animals, blood lead levels exceeding 40 g/dl might result in obvious clinical signs. Calcium and phosphorus can lessen lead absorption through the digestive tract (US EPA 1986). According to the US EPA research, most animals will die if they regularly consume 2 to 8 mg of lead per kilogram of body weight every day for a lengthy period of time. Both the ingestion of forage and feed tainted with airborne lead and the relatively indirect uptake of lead through plant roots have an impact on grazing animals. Additionally, invertebrates can build up toxic quantities of lead for their predators.
Prompt Question: What do you think of old houses still in use should be done? Do you think they are contributing to lead poisoning in Dallas County?
References:
1. Texas Department of State Health Services (TSHS,2022). Cited from https://dshs.texas.gov/lead/child.shtm
2. Lead,2022. Cited from https://www.lead.org.au/lanv1n2/lanv1n2-8.html
3. Amber Yates, 2021. Very Well Health. Cited from https://www.verywellhealth.com/risk-factors-for-lead-poisoning-401325#citation-3
4. Schwarz K, Pouyat RV, Yesilonis I. Legacies of Lead in Charm City's Soil: Lessons from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(2):209. doi:10.3390/ijerph13020209
5. Shirlee Tan, 2020, Public Health Insider. Cited from https://publichealthinsider.com/2018/10/25/why-lead-is-a-public-health-issue-and-what-were-doing-about-it/
Hello Anil,
ReplyDeleteVery great and professional blog. This blog worth to published for public as great source for awareness about this important topic. According to the City of Dallas, an estimated 52% of occupied, privately-owned homes built before 1978 likely contain lead-based paint. If your house was built before 1978, there's a 75 percent chance that there's a layer of lead lurking in the paint.