Central New York has some of the highest levels of childhood lead poisoning in New York State. Because lead in the human body doesn’t immediately result in easily identifiable physical symptoms, elevated lead levels may be silently impacting children’s development without us even knowing it.
About Lead Poisoning
Lead, a blue-grey heavy metal naturally found in soil, was once a common ingredient found in gasoline, food cans, ceramics, toys and household paint. When it became apparent in the 1970s that lead was linked to a variety of health concerns, it was dubbed an environmental toxin and removed from domestic projects.
Lead paint is a major cause of lead poisoning in cities like Syracuse that have a large housing stock built before 1978, when federal regulations banned the use of lead-based paint. More than 90 percent of occupied homes in the city of Syracuse were built before that regulation was enacted.
Lead is a toxin that affects the brain, nervous system and multiple organs in the human body. Lead has a greater impact on children’s growing brains and bodies than it does on adults. Even children who seem healthy may have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies. The ingestion of even small amounts of lead can cause them to have permanent learning and behavioral problems. This includes a lower IQ, hyperactivity and delinquent behavior. It can also negatively impact speech and language, hearing, visual-spatial processing, attention and motor skills.
How Lead is Ingested
Children under the age of six and pregnant women living in homes that have chipping, flaking and peeling paint are at the highest risk of lead poisoning. Young children spend a great deal of time on the ground crawling and walking. Always on the go and often with toys in mouth and hand, they are susceptible to inhaling lead dust and ingesting paint chips most commonly found on floors and window sills. Lead paint chips tend to have a sweet flavor, making them enticing to young children. Another common source of lead poisoning is from the friction of painted surfaces when windows, doors and cabinets are opened and closed. This releases dust particles into the air that is then unknowingly inhaled.
Lead Poisoning Long-Term Impacts
There is no safe blood lead level, as a child’s development and intellectual function can be affected by exposure at any level. Lead in the human body has been found to reduce brain function, impacting the skills needed for academic success, physical activity and social interaction. It can lead to a higher likelihood of attention deficit disorders, criminal behavior, violence and suicide. Increased impulsivity and aggression, along with a shorter attention span, are likely to influence a child’s everyday social encounters and success in school.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a direct correlation between lead exposure and increased school absenteeism and dropouts. Without early invention, children exposed to lead may need special education services and are at higher risk of not graduating from high school.
When pregnant women are exposed to lead, they have an increased risk of adverse fetal development. Babies exposed to lead in the womb are more likely to be born prematurely, have a lower birth weight and experience delayed growth.
The complications of lead poisoning undermine all community efforts to help our children succeed in school and go on to develop successful careers and happy lives. Yet, lead poisoning is also entirely preventable if the proper action is taken. See what we are doing to address this issue.
Learn about lead in Central New York.
About Lead Poisoning
Lead, a blue-grey heavy metal naturally found in soil, was once a common ingredient found in gasoline, food cans, ceramics, toys and household paint. When it became apparent in the 1970s that lead was linked to a variety of health concerns, it was dubbed an environmental toxin and removed from domestic projects.
Lead paint is a major cause of lead poisoning in cities like Syracuse that have a large housing stock built before 1978, when federal regulations banned the use of lead-based paint. More than 90 percent of occupied homes in the city of Syracuse were built before that regulation was enacted.
Lead is a toxin that affects the brain, nervous system and multiple organs in the human body. Lead has a greater impact on children’s growing brains and bodies than it does on adults. Even children who seem healthy may have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies. The ingestion of even small amounts of lead can cause them to have permanent learning and behavioral problems. This includes a lower IQ, hyperactivity and delinquent behavior. It can also negatively impact speech and language, hearing, visual-spatial processing, attention and motor skills.
How Lead is Ingested
Children under the age of six and pregnant women living in homes that have chipping, flaking and peeling paint are at the highest risk of lead poisoning. Young children spend a great deal of time on the ground crawling and walking. Always on the go and often with toys in mouth and hand, they are susceptible to inhaling lead dust and ingesting paint chips most commonly found on floors and window sills. Lead paint chips tend to have a sweet flavor, making them enticing to young children. Another common source of lead poisoning is from the friction of painted surfaces when windows, doors and cabinets are opened and closed. This releases dust particles into the air that is then unknowingly inhaled.
Lead Poisoning Long-Term Impacts
There is no safe blood lead level, as a child’s development and intellectual function can be affected by exposure at any level. Lead in the human body has been found to reduce brain function, impacting the skills needed for academic success, physical activity and social interaction. It can lead to a higher likelihood of attention deficit disorders, criminal behavior, violence and suicide. Increased impulsivity and aggression, along with a shorter attention span, are likely to influence a child’s everyday social encounters and success in school.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a direct correlation between lead exposure and increased school absenteeism and dropouts. Without early invention, children exposed to lead may need special education services and are at higher risk of not graduating from high school.
When pregnant women are exposed to lead, they have an increased risk of adverse fetal development. Babies exposed to lead in the womb are more likely to be born prematurely, have a lower birth weight and experience delayed growth.
The complications of lead poisoning undermine all community efforts to help our children succeed in school and go on to develop successful careers and happy lives. Yet, lead poisoning is also entirely preventable if the proper action is taken. See what we are doing to address this issue.
Learn about lead in Central New York.
