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Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2. To help prevent lead poisoning: Ask your doctor about having your kids tested for lead exposure. Get your home checked for lead if it was built before Get your water tested. Call your local water department to find a laboratory that will test your water for lead. Regularly clean floors, windowsills, and dusty surfaces clean with a wet cloth or mop.
Wash your kids' hands and toys often. Remove or wipe shoes before coming into the house. Keep kids away from soil around old homes and busy roads. Fix areas with peeling or chipped paint, such as windows and porches.
Follow safe practices when removing lead-based paint hazards. Find a lead-safe certified contractor for home renovations. Serve a variety of healthy foods, such as dairy products, lean meat and beans, and fruit and vegetables. Children are at the highest risk of lead poisoning, especially if they live in old houses with chipping paint.
This is because children are prone to putting objects and fingers in their mouths. People in developing countries are also at a higher risk. Many countries do not have strict rules regarding lead. If you adopt a child from a developing country, their lead levels should be checked. Lead poisoning is diagnosed with a blood lead test.
This test is performed on a standard blood sample. Lead is common in the environment. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that no amount of lead in the blood is safe. It is known that levels as low as 5 micrograms per deciliter can be associated with health problems in children.
Additional tests could include blood tests to look at the amount of iron storing cells in the blood, X-rays , and possibly a bone marrow biopsy. The first step of treatment is to locate and remove the source of the lead. Keep children away from the source. If it cannot be removed, it should be sealed. Call your local health department for information on how to remove lead. They can also help you reduce the likelihood of lead exposure.
In more severe cases, a procedure known as chelation therapy can be used. This treatment binds to lead that has accumulated in your body.
The lead is then excreted in your urine. EDTA has side effects that include kidney dysfunction, and DMSA can often cause nausea, abdominal distress, and allergic reactions, among others. In children, recovery can take time. Even low lead exposure can cause permanent intellectual disability. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal.
Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in older buildings are the most common sources of lead poisoning in children. Other sources include contaminated air, water and soil. Adults who work with batteries, do home renovations or work in auto repair shops also might be exposed to lead.
There is treatment for lead poisoning, but taking some simple precautions can help protect you and your family from lead exposure before harm is done. Initially, lead poisoning can be hard to detect — even people who seem healthy can have high blood levels of lead.
Signs and symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated. Although children are primarily at risk, lead poisoning is also dangerous for adults. Signs and symptoms in adults might include:. Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth's crust, but human activity — mining, burning fossil fuels and manufacturing — has caused it to become more widespread. Lead was also once used in paint and gasoline and is still used in batteries, solder, pipes, pottery, roofing materials and some cosmetics.
Lead-based paints for homes, children's toys and household furniture have been banned in the United States since But lead-based paint is still on walls and woodwork in many older homes and apartments.
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