Small amount of lead in children's blood can lead to health problems

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention have said that a 10 micro gram "thresh hold" of lead in the blood is the cause to worry about liver functions. The amount of lead in the blood is correlated with the ability of the liver to function and filter out harmful materials. They have done a test in which children whose lead content is 1.5 micro grams were compared to children's whose lead content was 2.9. The higher the lead content in the blood, the worse the liver functions. With each doubling of lead levels, the filtration capacity dropped.

This is one out of many studies finding that lead levels below the CDC's "thresh hold" may have detrimental impact on children's health. No amount of lead in the blood is a healthy thing, however the question comes where you can reasonably mount a public health response.

Some of the sources of lead can be found in old paint, drinking water, and contaminated soil.
Approximately 1.4% of children had a lead content of 10 micro grams or higher in 2006. This figure is down from 9% in 1988. We can attribute this factor to the fact that lead is no longer found in gasoline and paint.

Lead exposure affects cognitive ability and behavior. Studies show that children with elevated blood lead levels have problems such as hyperactivity, attention dysfunction, and lowered IQ. Lead can also harm the kidneys, reproduction, and cause hypertension and gastrointestinal problems such as colic, nausea, and constipation.

In 1991, the CDC's "thresh hold" went from 30 micro grams to 10 micro grams due to the vast amount of studies showing that a lower blood lead level can lead to health problems. For children with levels higher than 10, many states have an intervention program. When children test higher than 20 micro grams of lead in the blood, medical evaluation and environmental remediation is performed. When children test higher than 45 micro grams, medical treatment may be necessary.

There has been growing concern from researchers and physicians about lower levels of lead being toxic. Studies show that, on average, children whose blood lead level was 1 micro gram had an IQ 7 points higher than children with blood lead levels of 10.

Children with blood lead level from 5-10 micro grams had 49% lower reading scores and 59% lower writing scores than children with blood levels of 1-5 micro grams.

A study done in 2009 by the State University of New York at Oswego found a link between lead levels and cardiovascular function. The study took 140 children ages 9-11 all with blood lead levels of 3.8 or lower. The children were given a mildly stressful computer test, and the study showed that the kids who had slightly higher levels of lead in their blood had more constricted flow of blood vessels while they were stressed.

Researchers and physicians state that their is no healthy amount of lead in the blood, so the question is what we can do about it. Parents who are aware of their child's blood lead level have cleaned their homes of all toxic lead chemicals. There is no evidence, however, that this helps children with higher or lower blood lead levels. Drug therapy is not a very effective way to eliminate lead from the blood either.

The best thing that can be done is to create an environment in which kids who suffer the health consequences due to higher blood levels can be helped and ensured a safe environment to deal with their health problems and work past the hurdles they face.