Lead is a known killer

A killer of brain cells and of IQ. In last weeks Journal of the American Medical Association an article discussed children who were diagnosed with high lead levels but who were never followed up. The earlier this toxicity is diagnosed, the earlier is can be treated. The longer it is allowed to persist, the more damage occurs. This prompted me to discuss it since lead does not respect geographic or economic barriers.

Lead is one of the most prevalent and toxic substances in our environment. When it is in someone’s body along with other heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, nickel or arsenic, its toxicity is not simply additive, but multiplied. This means that the bad effects are not 1 + 1 = 2, but more like 50 x 2 = 100.

There is no safe level of lead in the body and it serves no useful physiological purpose.

Research has shown that lead causes among other things:

• Impairment of brain and organ development in fetuses when mothers are exposed during pregnancy
• Lowered IQ
• Behavioral disorders in infants and children like ADD, ADHD, learning disabilities, coordination problems, depression, and antisocial behavior and criminality.
• Impairment of calcium balance
• Hearing loss
• Anemia (lack of red blood cells)

Many times the symptoms are too low grade to be noticed and include tiredness, abdominal pain, constipation, headache, irritability, or aggressiveness. Unless the physician thinks of this as a diagnosis it is unlikely that the child will be discovered. More often than not a pediatrician or psychiatrist will use prescription behavior modifiers for the observed behavior rather than search for and make an accurate diagnosis.

Young children commonly put their unwashed hands in their mouths after touching objects contaminated with lead from dust, paint, and soil. If the child or pregnant mother is deficient in iron, zinc or calcium the absorption of lead will be increased.
Measurements done on modern day adult bones show we have 1000 times the amount of lead in our bones than our ancestors of several hundred years ago. This is the result of environmental contamination.

In the current epidemic of ADD, ADHD, and learning disabilities where over 6% of school children are diagnosed and prescribed amphetamine type medication, lead is rarely looked for by the pediatrician or psychiatrist. Landmark studies on children show that behavioral and performance problems in primary school children (including distractibility, impulsivity, disorganization, non-persistence, inability to follow simple instructions and overall poor functioning) were more prevalent in children with high levels of lead. The studies show that children with elevated levels in preschool years who were followed were 7 times more likely to drop out of high school and their incidence of reading disability was 7 times greater that children with low levels. [Needleman, Herbert L; Gatsonis, Constantine, JAMA Vol 263 No 05, A Low - Level Lead Exposure and the IQ of Children - A Meta - analysis of Modern Studies, February 1990]

SOURCES OF LEAD:
Older paint, industrial emissions, mining, plumbing products, gasoline products, fertilizers, batteries, and building materials accumulate in soils and dust can be transferred from hand to mouth or inhaled or absorbed through the skin. A modern computer has several pounds of lead solder and if burned in a waste dump the lead may aerosolize and contaminate the downwind environment.

Are you at risk?

1. Do you live near an active lead mine, smelter, battery-recycling plant or other industry likely to release lead?
2. Is your home on land which was previously used for industrial purposes?
3. Is your home near a major road or traffic intersection?
4. Are car parks or garages located close to entrances or windows in your home?
5. Have older structures nearby — such as bridges, water tanks or towers — been renovated recently?
6. Do you live in or does your child regularly visit a house with peeling or chipping paint built before 1970? (This includes day-care centers, pre-schools, homes of baby-sitters or relatives.)
7. Does your child have pica, chew or eat non-food items, or suck his/her thumb?
8. Do you have pets (especially furry ones) that track in dust?
9. Do you live near or over an old land fill site?

(This list adapted is from http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au)

Because lead is prevalent in the environment I suggest that all children and adults should have a blood lead level checked for as part of an annual examination. A very good test that can show elevated tissue levels is called an RBC mineral level. This not only gives the level of lead in red blood cells but also gives the levels of good minerals as well. The test can be ordered by your physician from Metametrix (www.metametrix.com) or Great Smokies Laboratories (www.gsdl.com). A hair analysis is also a test which may be revealing.
What can one do?

1. Go over the checklist and if you are at risk get checked by your doctor.
2. Teach children to keep their hands away from their mouths and encourage hand washing before eating.
3. Make sure the diet is rich in minerals (organic fruits and vegetables) with a multivit/min supplement.
4. Take Body Detox every night before bed. Body Detox is a nutritional supplement that helps the body to get rid of heavy metals and chemicals. We suggest that Body Detox be taken daily as part of a preventive maintenance program to improve the movement of lead and other toxins out of the body on a daily basis, so they don’t have a chance to accumulate and cause problems. This comes as a convenient spray so the dose can be adjusted for children or adults. For information on Body Detox go to www.body-detox.com