Get the Lead Out

++  I got a great review about lead (and other heavy metals) at one of the sessions I attended at the dietetics conference recently.  Lead can harm your blood, nerves, and digestive system.  Often, there is already non-reversible damage before symptoms are noticeable.  It can be a big problem in children, whose developing brains are more susceptible.  The statistics and regulations mentioned applied to the USA, but the principles are the same anywhere.

The biggest source is the dust from paint.  Lead was once used to preserve the color in paint.  Titanium started to gradually replace it in the 1950s, but it was still used in paint until it was outlawed in 1978; and in primer until 1995.  The dust can come from ordinary household processes, even opening and closing windows.  If paint was removed, but proper lead-abatement procedures were not followed, it can be in the cracks between floor boards, in the dirt outside the building, etc - forever. Toddlers are at highest risk for this.  They put everything in their mouths - fingers, toys, household items, etc. If you raise your own fruit or vegetables, it is possible to test the soil for lead.  Current recommendations are that it is alright to eat the plants if the lead level is lower than 500 ug/g (½ of 1% of the weight).  If it is a little higher than that, the water-transfer parts of the plant should be avoided (stems, roots, leaves), but the fruiting parts are generally okay to eat.

   Lead has also been used in a lot of other ways:

• gasoline additive, phased out in the 1970s, but still in the dirt that was subjected to auto exhaust.  
• glaze that can be used in dishes and other ceramics (again, to preserve color)
• the coating on some candies, 
• plumbing 
• stiffener in candle wicks (also phased out a few years ago) 
• some kinds of batteries 
• do an Internet search and you can find other sources that apply to your life and situation. 

 Let's look a little closer at plumbing.  Lead was used to make pipes for ages, literally. Even in pipes made of another metal, such as copper, lead was part of the solder used to weld the pipes together.  In hard water, the calcium salts and magnesium salts that make the water hard will gradually coat the pipes and give protection from the lead leaching into the water.  If the water is acidic, the deposits will not form, and what's already there will gradually wear again, putting people at risk again.  Water can also be tested for lead.

 What can be done to protect yourself and your family?  Obviously, avoid the sources as much as you can: 

• If you live in an older home, have it tested.  Keep a clean house.
• Wash your hands - and wash children's hand often if they are playing outside.
• Check your dishes, etc. - many manufacturer's will have information on their websites. 
• Look up job-related sources and find out if you - or someone in your household - is exposed that way (and carries it home in clothing, etc.). 
• Eat a balanced diet.  If you have a full serving of diary foods - or other good calcium sources - at a time when you are exposed to lead, the calcium will block up to 95% of the lead from getting into your system - while you are eating.  A few hours later, that has drifted down to 40% and will continue to fall.  Also get enough iron in your diet - lead and iron try to block each other.  
• Talk to your doctor and to your local public health agency if you think there's a chance you are at risk.  

Lead poisoning can be scary.  Luckily, some sources of exposure and becoming less common - and you can take action to protect yourself.