Lead Poisoning Awareness, Prevention and Solutions

In an effort to save you time and help you better understand the wide array of options available - from healing therapies to nutrition, we've created this directory of resources available on both bluedominoes.com and other websites. There's no single solution that works for everyone and our goal is to share reources to provide pathways to your child's brighter future. We encourage you to share your most helpful therapies, books, learnings, etc. so that we create a destination for parents to create a healthy family environment and explore a range of treatment options for you to discuss with your physician.

According to the EPA, 1 in 22 children have elevated blood lead levels. The CDC reports that some areas of the country such as New York, Detroit, and Cleveland have as many as 1 in 6 children with elevated blood lead levels. The World Health Organization reports that over 18 million children are harmed annually from lead worldwide.

Neurodevelopmental Effects of Lead according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, and the World Health Organization include:
- weakness in attention/vigilance
- aggression
- somatic complaints (physical complaints such as headaches, vomiting, nausea, constipation, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal, back aches, skin disorders)
- antisocial or delinquent behaviors including lack of interest in play
- reduction in auditory threshold and hearing problems
- abnormal posture or balance
- poor eye-hand coordination
- longer reaction times
- sleep disturbances
- slowed growth
- Higher rates of tooth decay
- Seizures

Since these symptoms are also indicative of other childhood conditions including ADHD and Autism, it is imperative that children be properly screened for lead poisoning prior to diagnosis. For a personal story of lead poisoning that was misdiagnosed as other ailments, please see:
Mark's Story

Sources of Lead Exposure
1. Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in Artificial Food Coloring

2. To find out more about lead and cadmium allowed in dinnerware and where to get lead free alternatives read:  Heavy Metals at Your Dinner Table and the ABC Transcript with a  link to video of the dinnerware that caused lead poisoning

3. Lead in Artificial Christmas Trees

4. Lead in Rubber Mulch for Playgrounds

5. Lead in fishing tackle explores how it effects wildlife and how lead-free tackle is safer for children to handle.

6. Deteriorating lead based paint, lead contaminated dust and soil

7. A list of recalled toys due to lead

Current Regulations for Lead in Children's Products


- U.S. regulations limit lead in paint on children's toys to 600 ppm (Code of Federal Regulations 2007).
-There are no federal regulations for lead in vinyl or plastic toys, jewelry, or other children's products. Since 2004, the CPSC has been considering proposed regulations for lead in PVC and jewelry (Federal Register 2007).
-Illinois recently passed a law limiting lead in a variety of consumer products, including toys, jewelry, clothing and articles intended to be chewable by children (Illinois Public Act 094-0879). California recently enacted limits on lead in jewelry (California Assembly Bill 1681, 2006).
-Nineteen states limit lead in packaging materials, such as shopping bags and product wrappings (TPCH 2007).
-The European Union restricts lead in electronic products, including electronic toys (European Union 2003)
-The toy industry has published a voluntary standard of 90 ppm for lead in toys, but the standard is unenforceable, and applies not to total lead content but the amount that can migrate from the toy.  Source: HealthyToys.org

HealthyToys.org found lead in the following products:
1. Painted toys and jewelry
2. PVC (vinyl) toys, bibs, backpacks
3. Shoes
4. Metal jewelry

Checking for Lead in Your Home
1. Home lead test kits and how to use them
2. EPA accredited laboratories area available by phoning 1-800-484-lead.

Lead and ADD/ADHD
Lead has been linked to ADD/ADHD by several studies and at levels below the current actionable levels of 10 mcg/dl.

1. Exposures to Environmental Toxicants and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in U.S. Children
2. ADHD linked to prenatal lead exposure, secondhand smoke
3. Even Low Lead Exposure Linked To ADHD                                                                                                                                                                4.  Lead and its Relationship to ADHD and Autism                                                                                                                                                            5.  Environmental Toxins, ADHD, and Autism

Lead and Autism
1. Autism and Autistic Symptoms Associated with Childhood Lead Poisoning by
Theodore I. Lidsky, PhD andJay S. Schneider, PhD

2. A lead poisoned child is mis-diagnosed with autism

3.  Warning:  Lead Poisoning or Autism?  by WFTV Channel 9

4.  Autism and Lead Poisoning by Wellsphere

5.  Lead and its Relationship to ADHD and Autism

6.  Environmental Toxins, ADHD, and Autism

Lead Free Products
Resources for lead-free products including children's toys, adult gifts, pet toys, dinnerware, Christmas trees and food items.

Recommended Books for lead poisoning
1. Turning Lead into Gold: How Heavy Metal Poisoning Can Affect Your Child and How to Prevent and Treat It
by Nancy Hallaway and Zigurts Strauts
This book takes you on a journey of a mom who is also a nurse and discovers her twin boys have lead poisoning. They exhibit autistic and ADHD symptoms, and after having her children properly diagnosed, she was able to begin chelation therapy and her boys showed steady improvement. A great book that takes you through the hazards of lead, the symptoms, and how they correlate closely with some psychological diagnosis.

2. Victory Over ADHD
by Deborah Merlin
An incredible story of a mom whose twins were diagnosed with ADHD. She follows their yearly progress in school, helpful therapies as well as their diagnosis of lead poisoning. Deborah shares that Vitamin C really helped to reduce the lead exposure which was one of the underlying components of her children's ADHD. She also discusses the benefits of early intervention and her negotiation with the school for programs for her children. Today her twins are 19 and are attending college.

Recommended Therapies
All therapies discussed in this section would be beneficial to evaluate for children with lead poisoning.

Chelation Therapies / Detox options for Children with Lead Poisoning
1. Discusses the use of DMSA DMSA is an FDA approved treatment for removing lead from the body. It is available in many forms including pills and suppositories. There is a protocol developed by DefeatAutismNow that sometimes uses DMSA as part of the protocol to detoxify the child's body from metals.
2. Discusses the use of EDTA EDTA is is typically administered with an IV, although over the counter pills are also available.
3. The use of homeopathy as an adjunct for lead poisoning
4. There are alternative methods of removing lead from the body including Alpha or R-Lipoic acid, Metal-free and Natural Cellular Defense.
5. Vitamin C's role in detoxifying lead was reported as early as 1939 in The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine Click here to view the report. In addition Orthomolecular.org reported in October of 2007 that vitamin C helps to mobilize lead from tissues. In addition, they report that "Additional vitamin intake, through the use of nutrient supplementation, can help speed up the removal process. Daily consumption of additional vitamin C and selenium is likely to protect children by helping to eliminate heavy metals from their bodies. One easy and inexpensive way to increase intake of these nutrients is by taking a vitamin C supplement with each meal, along with a multivitamin containing selenium. Vitamin supplements are remarkably safe for children."

Please work with your health care practitioner to determine the right path for your child.

Studies/Papers on Chelation Therapy
1. Chelation therapy reduces lead-exposure problems but could create lasting effects for children treated for autism, CU researchers find
2. Chelation Therapy for Childhood Lead Poisoning: Does Excretion Equal Efficacy?

Removing Lead from Soil
Sunflowers have been shown to remove lead from soil. To learn more, visit the following link: Phytoextraction - Removing Toxins from the Soil.

Nutrition
1. Vitamin C helps to decrease blood lead levels according to a study published in Journal of the American Medical Association.
2. Iron Deficiency can contribute to increased blood lead levels. The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program recommends an iron rich diet to help mitigate lead in the body. They also note that iron deficiency is the most common deficiency in infants and young children.
3. Calcium deficiencies have also been correlated with increased lead levels. The link provides a list of calcium, vitamin c, and iron rich foods.
4. For helpful tips on getting picky eaters to eat a balanced meal, please read the following article. Also on the same link are nutritious recipes that contain Vitamin C, iron, and calcium.
5. Information on heavy metals present in artificial food coloring
6. Healthier Treats - There is a wide selection of natural candies perfect for children and adults. Many of the treats mentioned in this article are also suitable for children following gluten-free/dairy/casein free, and/or the Feingold Program.
7. Some recipes that your children might enjoy.

Screening for Lead
1. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry states that blood lead levels may under-represent the total body burden for individuals with high or chronic past exposure. This is because most lead is stored in the bone and blood levels will show normal.
2. Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Lead Poisoning Statistics
1. According to the Iowa Department of Healthy Services 1 in 7 children in Iowa has lead poisoning.
2. According to the EPA 1 in 22 in America have high levels of lead in their blood.
3. The CDC provides state and county numbers for lead screening and poisoning. 

Are you familiar with another resouce/link we haven't mentioned? Share it with us, we'd love to hear it with you.