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"US lowers cutoff for lead poisoning in young kids; Change means more children will be diagnosed" y Mike Stobbe |
Associated Press, May 17, 2012
ATLANTA - Really, “there is no safe level of blood lead in children,’’ said
Christopher Portier, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
Under the old standard, lead poisoning in children had been declining
in the United States....
Lead - a metal that for years was common in paint and gasoline - can
harm a child’s brain, kidneys, and other organs. High levels in the
blood can cause coma, convulsions, and death. Lower levels can reduce
intelligence, impair hearing and behavior, and cause other problems.
Usually, children who get lead poisoning live in old homes that are
dilapidated or under renovation. They pick up paint chips or dust and
put it in their mouth. Lead has been banned in paint since 1978.
Children have also picked up lead poisoning from soil contaminated by
old leaded gasoline, and from dust from industrial worksites....
The CDC’s threshold was last changed in 1991....
--more--"
Also see: Earth Day: Getting the Lead Out
