With all the talk about lead.....?

Question

I had my sons' annual physical on Monday and his lead level is great. (<2.4) I understand that any level <10 mcg/dL is what we aim for...my question is; Is lead found in the the bloodstream naturally at all? Like Iron is; what I'm getting at is...we have iron in our blood, but too much will pose as a health risk. So, is lead found naturally and just too much is a hazard or it shouldn't be there at all? I am guesstimating that it shouldn't be there at all...but I want to know for sure. And if in fact its not supposed to be in our system naturally....then my son had been in contact with some form of lead in some way (some small way....but in contact with it none the less). I'm not concerned with his level at all because its so very low, but I would like to keep an eye on what has given him a raise in levels (other than 0)...this world today! So many things to worry about now...its pathetic!

Answer 1

Lead doesn't occur naturally in your body.

Lead is found in solder that used to solder copper plumbing, and to solder together every electronic gizmo in your home.

It would be almost impossible not to have exposure to lead in our modern world.

Answer 2

Lead is all around us-toys ar a very, very minor issue. If you rhome was built prior to 1978 it likely has lead paint which can chip or develop dust that will be a great way to pass on lead. You child may not eat lead paint chips but say you have dust in the house and the child touches the dust and then uses the same fingers to eat a snack-see how the lead in the house can travel. Now figure that many people used paint purchased prior to the ban for several years so figure a home with painting done prior to 1983 has the potential to have lead in the paint. Also, if the lead paint was used out side and flaked the chips can get into the dirt and cause a soil contamination issue. How many of us really scrape paint into a bag and remove it from the site?

There are other sources of lead in the environment as well-and even if your home is new maybe he visits places that are older (churches, schools, grand-parents home). Also-check some of the antiques in the home-they can be sources of lead paint as well and granny is not likely to repaint the family treassures to seal the lead paint in so if the child is touching the stuff or say sleeps in an old iron bed when at granny's that can also be a source. If we all run out and get blood tests done we would likely see that all of us have a lead reading of some type. Lead exposure is cumulative-the longer you are around it, the more you have.

Don't stress too much over it. Your doctor will tell you (or should) if this is a level to worry over and what to do next. I work in prop managment and worked for several years with low income housing and we had kids test much higher than your son and the health dept didn't look into it because according to them it didn't warrent concern on their end. There are things you can do if you have an older home to help with lowering the exposure-your local housing authority can give you a booklet on living with lead paint that will cover ways to clean etc that will help with the dust issues.

Answer 3

The idea condition is none at all. We can be exposed toit in several ways. Look at webmd and search on lead. It will give you articles on lead poisoning and methods of being exsposed. Is your son old enough to have been around before they took lead from gasoline as an anti-knock agent. A lot of people got contaminated breathing exhaust fumes.

Answer 4

There are always going to be some levels of lead in the body. Just like there are always background radiation levels. (your body is always undergoing radiation from the earth, just not enough to really damage it). The human body is an amazing thing, its strong enough to handle a lot of problems, life isn't meant to be worried about. i am not saying don't take precautions, but life is too short to worry about terrorists, lead poisioning and other ails of the modern world. If you die you die, there is no way around it so live life for what its worth.

Answer 5

hi,
You are exactly right... Too much research, too many people wanting to be famous on thier discovery, the more people "become smarter, the more people become dumber" just like in evolution - devolution is the result.

Anyway, In your case, I will just play safe. If your child is not changing in the way he eat and he eats good - not losing appetite, his daily energy is good, his thinking capabilities, his temper is calm, he sleeps soundly at night, all those that appear to be normal, I would not worry. Just maybe observe him closely - if the doctor says he should do this, take him to this expert, take this medication for prevention (of what)...I will observe my child first before I believe anybody. And observe closely because sometimes, things can upset him and hurt him emotionaly - of course like other people, he could react to that if he gets mad...you know. Use your judgement very carefully and wisely.

Answer 6

lead is not natural in the blood, the doctor should be very concerned if there is any at all, you need to go over everything you own and make sure there is no lead in anything

Answer 7

Did you get a lead tester at wal-mart to check toys n stuff around the house ? This will tell you about alot . Where it's at . You would be suprised .

Answer 8

It is. That is what comes from parents giving their kids cheap toys, to keep them occupied, rather than playing with the kids themselves. Those who insist upon using toys as substitutes for parental love should at least spend a little money, and get toys made in the USA rather than opting for cheap toys made in third world nations like China and Mexico.

Answer 9

Probably if the world lasts long enough they will find a use. 50 years ago everyone would have told you selenium was toxic, and unneeded, now we know a shortage causes Alzheimers.

Answer 10

a little bit is found but not a whole lot of it, and like most anything too much can be dangerous.