Over the past eight months, a significant amount of time and money has been dedicated to combating an invisible poison. This journey began during my daughter’s 12-month checkup when her pediatrician informed me that she had an alarming amount of lead in her blood. The pediatrician elaborated on the detrimental effects of lead, explaining that high levels can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system, brain, and other organs in children, while lower levels are associated with learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and developmental delays. I was devastated as I gazed at my baby in her car seat on the drive home.
The pediatrician stressed the importance of reducing my daughter’s lead levels. However, when I delved into researching the source of the lead, I discovered that it can be found in various places such as baby food, house paint, breast milk, toys, and even cumin powder. Remarkably, a tiny amount of lead dust equivalent to a single sweetener packet can render an entire football field “hazardous” according to EPA standards.
My husband and I invested nearly $12,000 in removing highly contaminated soil from our backyard, replacing old windows, and sealing an old claw-foot bathtub. We diligently mopped the floors at night, religiously washed our daughter’s hands, and ensured she received ample amounts of iron, calcium, and vitamin C, as these nutrients are believed to limit the body’s absorption of lead. After four months, we returned to the pediatrician, and her lead levels had decreased from 3.9 micrograms per deciliter of blood to 2.2 mcg/dL. Although an improvement, it was still far from the desired zero, which is considered the safe amount of lead according to authorities like the CDC, WHO, and the Mayo Clinic.
Unfortunately, our story is not unique. Thousands of families undergo the same ordeal every year. Over 300,000 American children have blood lead levels exceeding the CDC’s reference value of 3.5 mcg/dL. Yet, parents are largely left to combat lead exposure on their own. Those fortunate enough to afford extreme caution can invest tens of thousands of dollars into the removal of lead, and still not achieve zero exposure.
Suz Garrett also faced a similar situation when her 1-year-old son, Orrin, displayed four micrograms of lead in every deciliter of his blood. They awaited guidance from their doctor or the county health department, but none was provided. In response, they sent Orrin to stay with family while they repainted their 19th-century Richmond, Virginia, house and covered exposed soil with mulch. While these measures are cost-effective, they may not be foolproof, as opening an old window or inadvertently bringing in dirt from neighboring yards can reintroduce invisible lead dust.
Cleaning became a near-obsession for the Garretts over the course of a year. However, Orrin’s blood levels remain detectable, currently at 2.1 mcg/dL. Frustration mounts for Garrett and her husband, leading them to invest in a new house. They obtained a $200,000 construction loan to renovate, ensuring the absence of lead paint. Moving homes seems to be the only way to escape the clutches of lead exposure.
In the past, children like Orrin Garrett and my daughter would not have raised concerns. Up until 2012, a blood lead level of 10 mcg/dL or higher was considered concerning. However, the CDC has been utilizing a reference value to identify children with higher lead levels for the past decade. This reference number is based on statistical data rather than health outcomes. As more children tested below 5 mcg/dL, the reference level decreased accordingly. Today, it stands at 3.5 mcg/dL.
The downward trend in the reference level mirrors the decline in lead exposure, which has dropped by 95% since the 1970s due to policies focused on removing lead from various sources such as gasoline, paint, plumbing, and food. However, uncertainty and apprehension persist as to what constitutes lead poisoning.
Determining the impact of low lead levels, particularly below 10 mcg/dL, on cognitive health is a complex matter. While significant brain damage was once perceived to occur at levels above 40 to 60 micrograms, studies conducted by experts like Kim Dietrich revealed that harm can manifest at much lower levels. For instance, pooled data from multiple large studies highlighted a four-point drop in children’s IQ when their blood-lead concentration rose from 2.4 to just 10 mcg/dL. Despite these alarming findings, Dietrich emphasizes that the effects observed at a population level should not be confused with individual impacts.
Understanding the repercussions of low lead levels on cognitive health proves to be an intricate challenge. Gabriel Filippelli, a biogeochemist studying lead exposure in urban environments, explains that lead does not affect everyone in the same way as alcohol does. Factors such as a child’s genetic makeup likely contribute to variations in outcomes.
Monitoring low levels of lead exposure imposes a financial and emotional burden on parents. Mary Jean Brown, former chief of the CDC’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, advises concerned parents to tread carefully and avoid creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Symptoms are unlikely to manifest in most children with blood lead levels of 5 or 10 micrograms per deciliter. However, if parents constantly label their child as different, it may influence their perception of themselves.
Tanisha Bowman, a healthcare worker in Pittsburgh, knows this anxiety all too well. She has spent nearly three years trying to reduce her daughter’s blood lead levels, which initially peaked at 20 mcg/dL and have fluctuated between two and six over the past year. Despite her daughter exhibiting no issues and even measuring ahead developmentally, Bowman couldn’t help but associate lead exposure with alarming headlines. At one point, she even wondered if her daughter’s tantrums indicated ADHD, which can be linked to lead exposure. The true impact of lead on her daughter’s life remains unknown, leaving her with no answers.
In the absence of a specific, outcome-based threshold to determine when parents should worry, a mantra has emerged: there is no safe level of lead. However, this catchphrase can be misleading. Gabriel Filippelli explains that while it’s essential to avoid exposure to minimize potential harm, there is no valid research supporting the idea that absolutely any amount of lead exposure is unsafe.
Although the sentiment behind the guidance is well-intentioned, completely avoiding all exposure is an impossible task. Tricia Gasek, a mother from New Jersey, desperately searched for the source of lead in her children’s blood. She spent $1,000 on a “lead detective” to test her home with an XRF device, consulted with experts, and invested an additional $600 to replace leaded lights on her front door. Ultimately, she discovered that her own breast milk may have contained lead, potentially due to her own childhood exposure. The process was exhausting, leading her to question why she had to shoulder the responsibility of uncovering these hidden dangers.
Parents simply cannot eliminate lead exposure without assistance. Lead is ubiquitous and invisible. While incidents like the Flint, Michigan water crisis and product recalls have brought attention to lead leaching from corroded pipes and contaminated baby food, the primary sources of exposure for children originate from their living and playing environments, such as houses and apartments with deteriorating paint and yards with contaminated soil. Unfortunately, escape is not a viable option for many, as low-income neighborhoods, often occupied by Black and Latino families, bear the highest burden of lead contamination.
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