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Most parents have already cleared their children's toy boxes of playthings containing lead-laden plastics or paint. But according to a new study published on Monday in Pediatrics, the toxic heavy metal may continue to lurk in other, less expected sources in the home - like in the kitchen pantry...
After several reports of lead poisoning in Indian children in the Boston area were linked to consumption of Indian spices, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health decided to measure the amount of lead in the seasonings as well as in ceremonial powders commonly used to mark newborn Indian infants for religious and cultural purposes. (See the top 10 most dangerous foods...
With repeated exposure at high enough levels, lead can cause cognitive damage and behavioral changes in children. In most cases, lead poisoning can be treated by reducing the child's exposure and by making sure he or she eats a balanced diet with sufficient iron, calcium and vitamin C - deficiencies in these can increase the body's absorption of lead. In extreme cases of extended lead exposure, doctors use drugs called chelating agents, which bind to the lead and pull it out of the body through urine. In severe cases of prolonged poisoning, however, the cognitive and developmental damage...
Studies have shown that a blood level of 10 mcg of lead per deciliter of blood is associated with potentially irreversible harm, although recent studies have shown that as little as 5 mcg/dL can also be dangerous. By extrapolating from their data, researchers estimated that if a population of children under age 4 was routinely exposed to Indian spices or ceremonial powders, the additional ingestion of lead would lead to a threefold increase - from 0.8% to 2.8% - in the percentage of children with a blood level of lead over 10 mcg/dL. "Our message is to say, Be aware of these...
Although the majority of lead-poisoning cases in the U.S., about two-thirds, occur when young children lick or ingest lead-containing paint as it peels or chips off walls, the new study reminds doctors and parents that they need to be aware of less obvious sources. Imported products such as the ones studied by the Boston group are a particular problem, since environmental standards around the world are not the same as they are in the U.S. In countries like India, for example, leaded gasoline is still commonly used in cars (in the U.S. it was replaced by unleaded...