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If you were affected by lead poisoning as a child, lead may have been deposited in your bones. During pregnancy, you may release the lead from your bones and pass it on to the developing fetus. Hire a State-certified lead contractor to reduce the lead hazards in your home and yard.
In cases of very high lead levels (45 µg/dL or higher), advanced treatment might be needed, especially in kids. Chelation therapy is generally pursued in children with blood lead levels of 45 mcg/dL or greater. Adults with high blood lead levels or symptoms of lead poisoning may also be treated.
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Dig the tip of the scoring tool into an inconspicuous section of paint. Once you've loosed the circular chip, use the edge of the scraper tool to gently pry it free from the wall and into the folded chip catcher tray. This lets you know how much lead is in each painted surface in your home. But it doesn’t tell you if the paint is dangerous or what to do if it is.
You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment. Safety authorities in the U.S. didn't begin regulating the use of lead in paints, plastics, and other materials until 1978. If you're testing for lead in a home or other building that hasn't been renovated since that time, be sure to test each room separately to ensure that no contaminants go missed. If you discover unsafe levels of lead in your home, your next step will be to contact an EPA-certified risk assessor for further inspection or possible removal. You may also be able to track down an EPA-certified lead testing kit at your local hardware shop or home improvement center. Use bottled water or a water filter to reduce lead levels.
Related to Children's Health
This article explains how lead poisoning is treated, including the home remedies, vitamins, prescription drugs, and surgeries that may be used. It also explains how chelation therapy works and at what level of exposure the procedure is recommended. Drop the strip into the sample container, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover the container if the testing kit you're using directs you to do so. Otherwise, it will be okay to leave the water exposed.Some water testing kits include test strips for a variety of different substances. If your kit contains more than 1 type of test strip, make sure you're using the one that corresponds to lead.
They can get iron from lean meats and seafood, nuts, and fortified grain products. There is some evidence that intravenous administration of the medication may be more effective at removing lead than oral preparations. In some adults, your doctor may suggest treatment with three different drugs, which are commonly called ethylene diaminete traacetic acid, or EDTA.
Environmental Health
Many private insurance policies cover the cost of testing for lead in the blood. The cost of blood lead testing for children enrolled in Medicaid is covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Lead poisoning happens when your child is exposed to high amounts of lead.
You may require more than one treatment of EDTA to remove lead from your body. Undergo these treatments if you have a severe case of lead poisoning, but be aware that it may not be possible to reverse damage. Persons living in developing countries are at a higher risk because these places often have less stringent laws on lead exposure. Living in older homes can expose you to lead paints, which were banned in the 1970s.
Personal Health and Prevention
Even so, this level of toxicity doesn't mean that chelation therapy is needed. Chelation therapy is typically started at higher blood levels due to limited evidence that the procedure is beneficial at lower blood levels. In recent years, research has shown that lower levels of exposure can cause significant cognitive and behavioral problems, including lower intelligence quotient .
Please contact the Delaware County Office of Housing and Community Development or the Community Action Agency of Delaware County for more information about these resources. Childhood lead poisoning has decreased in recent decades, though we still see many cases of lead poisoning in Delaware County. American Academy of Pediatrics.Prevention of childhood lead toxicity. Lead toxicity is primarily diagnosed using a formal lab test in a clinical setting, but there are a number of things you can do at home to check if you or a family member is at risk. You’ll send the samples off to a laboratory for analysis. The EPA says the most reliable testing is via a state-certified lab, such as those listed on the EPA’s web site.
The EPA recommends that only certified professionals use these kits. The professional can also perform a risk assessment, which alerts you to any hazards or problem areas with the lead in your home. However, NIOSH recommends that the most current guidelines for management of lead exposed adults be implemented by the medical community at the current CDC/NIOSH reference BLL of 5 µg/dL .
Clean the outside of your home in the same way you do inside, and you may want guests to leave their shoes at the door and wash their hands when they come inside. Avoid growing edible plants in lead-contaminated soil, but bushes and shrubs can help keep kids away from potentially dangerous areas. It is less likely that you have lead in your water, but if you’re concerned, contact your water provider.
Lead exposure is more likely in certain homes and environments than in others. This includes older buildings that may have used lead paint or poorer communities that may not have replaced outdated lead water pipes. Certain industries also place employees at an increased risk of lead exposure. For persons with lower levels of lead in the body, removing the contaminant may be enough to reduce blood lead levels. Finding out about lead in your water is only one part of the solution. Lead enters our bodies from many common contaminated sources other than drinking water, such as dust, soil and air.
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