Lead Is A Poison.

Lead is very poisonous and is harmful to both children and adults, especially children under the age of 6 and pregnant women because of its effect on brain development.

There is no safe level of lead in the body.  

Research shows that any amount of lead found in children’s bodies may affect their ability to learn, pay attention in school and grow.  Adults exposed to too much lead can suffer from high blood pressure, kidney damage, and problems having children.  Lead can also poison pets.

Lead poisoning is 100% preventable.

According to the CDC, lead poisoning is the #1 most preventable childhood disease.  Protection starts with knowing where lead can be found and what the dangers are when it’s disturbed.

Lead poisoning causes permanent health problems.

At very low levels of exposure in children, lead causes reduced intelligence and attention span, hyperactivity, impaired growth, reading and learning problems, hearing loss, difficulty sleeping, and a range of other health, school, and behavioral problems. A child with low levels of lead poisoning may not have any symptoms, and a blood test is the only way to know if a child is poisoned. At very high levels of exposure, lead poisoning can cause permanent mental delays, coma, seizures, and even death.

How Much Lead Does It Take?

Only 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood will poison a child.  An easy way to visualize this is: 

• A deciliter of liquid is about 1/2 of a cup.
• A packet of common sweetener (pink or blue) is 1 gram. There are one million micrograms in a gram.
• Divide one sweetener packet into a million piles.
• Now, discard all but 5 “piles,” that’s 5 micrograms.
• Mix the 5 “piles” into a 1/2 cup of liquid. 

This is what little amount it takes to poison a child. 

Fact

Most children are poisoned by ingesting household dust that contains lead. Invisible lead dust is just as dangerous as paint chips. This dust can be created by friction — the opening of windows or the rubbing of a tight door.