Word: shawntea
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Sitting on an examining table at the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, three-year-old Shawntea West is smiling and alert, apparently in excellent health. But she is afflicted with the most common of the serious childhood diseases. The mumps? Viral meningitis? Measles? Whooping cough? The answer, says Dr. Herbert Needleman as he draws blood from her arm, is lead poisoning...
During a routine checkup two weeks earlier, Shawntea was found to have a level of 25 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood. If that toxic level is maintained, it could affect her mental capabilities and result in grave behavioral and physical problems. "She was living in raggedy housing and eating plaster from a big hole in the wall," says her grandmother, who accompanied her. To Dr. Needleman, that is an important clue; it is likely that some of the earlier coats of paint on the wall contained lead. "Make sure she washes her hands before she eats," he says...
...Shawntea's case is hardly unique. From 3 million to 4 million American children -- or about 1 out of every 6 -- under six years old have lead poisoning. While only 7% of young children from medium- and high-income families are afflicted, it affects 25% of poor white children and an incredible 55% of those from impoverished black families...
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