Saving Your Child from Lead Poisoning

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Saving Your Child from Lead Poisoning
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Lead poisoning. We prefer to stay unaware, safe
in the comfort of our homes, treating the issue
like it never existed. That is until it comes
down to haunt us, making us wish that wed taken
some basic precautions earlier. Lead replacement.
A much talked about issue. Something everyone
agrees is a must. But an issue that very few wish
to deal with. The extra effort and costs in front
of something that may or may not happen and isnt
the easiest or the most obvious to detect makes
us want to push the dirt under the rug.
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The Flint water crisis brought lead poisoning at
the forefront of American news, and this
increased the attention we pay towards testing
for lead exposure. But while the Flint issue
highlighted lead poisoning in old pipes, young
children can be exposed to lead through all kinds
of sources, ranging from paint and soil to toys
and even candy. So much so that the Center for
Disease Control believes that more than 0.5
million children between the ages of 1 to 5 had
high levels of blood in the year 2010.
Many find lead testing to be confusing, so we
decided to help you figure out all you need to
know about testing for lead in children.
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When to Test for Lead?
State laws and the medical industry have
different opinions on when to get kids tested for
lead, and whether you should have the blood
levels analyzed. According to the American
Academy of Pediatrics, doctors should advise
parents on the benefits of lead replacement and
risk of having things like lead paint in the
house.
Blood levels should only be tested if there are
reasons to believe that the child is at risk.
However, state laws may require all kids to be
tested for poisoning at specific ages. "Having a
parent concerned tips the balance, says Dr.
Megan Sandel, a pediatrician at Boston Medical
Center. Simply put, parents who are worried about
the issue should get their kids tested
irrespective of whether they are at obvious risks
or not.
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The Less Painful Method May Not Be the Best
Sure, you want to save the child from the pain of
a venous blood testing method, but finger-stick,
heel-stick and capillary tests may not be the
perfect methods for collecting blood samples. "A
prick to the finger is quicker and easier,"
explains Dr. Sandel as it can be difficult to
find a vein to draw blood in a child, and parents
might not be comfortable seeing their infants cry
either Moreover, finger-sticks can be done in the
field, whereas an IV test needs to be conducted
in the doctors office. However, the downside of
a finger-stick is that it can result in false
positive results, something that many parents
have painfully learned.
In-Office Results Vs. The Lab
One of the main differences between the two is
the time taken to generate results. Doctors
usually send samples to labs for analysis. The
pediatrician contacts the parents when the
samples are ready, and this can take up to a
week. A faster method is the LeadCare II Blood
Lead Test System that can offer results within
minutes so that the doctor can get back to the
patient while theyre waiting at the office.
Courtney Lias from the FDA believes that this
test can be a real boon as it offers easy access,
thereby allowing for more people to get tested
for lead poisoning. If the levels are high,
doctors
can offer immediate solutions and lead
replacement ideas to remove lead from the childs
environment.
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Safe Levels of Lead
No level of lead is safe for kids. Before the
year 2012, the CDC believed that levels of 10 mg
/ dl or more should trigger screening and testing
procedures and demand lead replacement
strategies. However, the allowed level of lead
has since dropped to 5 mg / dl. While this sounds
easy, things become complicated for kids with
levels below 5. Lower levels may mean that there
is no lead in the childs system as the testing
is accurate within 1 2 points.
Many believe that we could be doing so much more
to save our kids from lead poisoning, and while
many things might not be possible as individuals,
parents can still do a lot to protect their kids
from lead poisoning. The most important thing to
do is to take proper measures to remove lead from
the home through lead replacement solutions, and
make sure that they get their kids tested for
lead when needed.
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380Austin, Texas  78746-7482USA Technical Sales
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