Childhood Environmental Diseases

In the united states, Lead poisoning seems to be one of the most common and preventable environmental problem in children. When compared to the US borne children, Prevelance of this poisoing is 1.6%high in refugee kids.(2)

(Campbell, 2016). Two giants in childhood lead poisoning research and advocacy, Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. David Bellinger, summarize the adverse effects of lead very completely, yet succinctly: “Lead is a devastating poison. It damages children’s brains, erodes intelligence, diminishes creativity and the ability to weigh consequences and make good decisions, impairs language skills, shortens attention span, and predisposes to hyperactive and aggressive behavior. Lead exposure in early childhood is linked to later increased risk for dyslexia and school failure.”(p. 3).

Lead poisoning has been a concern for many years. In fact, because of the affects of lead poisoning, there has been an extensive decline in its use. "Many people believe lead poisoning is no longer a threat, yet millions of homes contain lead based paint" (Heck, J., 2005, para. 1). Exposure to lead at any level is unhealthy, especially in infants, children, and pregnant women and continues to be an ongoing dilemma in this country. I read two articles concerning lead poisoning; the first article is from FineTuning, a popular press and the second article is from Pediatrics, a peer-review journal. In this paper, I will clearly summarize each article by comparing the content of both articles. In addition, I will summarize the attention to

As a result of this, the percentage of children with high levels of lead in their blood doubled after the switch. Lead does irreversible damage to children’s

Everyone is susceptible to the dangers of lead contamination; but children are especially at risk. High levels of lead in children can lead to brain and kidney damage and damage to red blood cells. Low levels of lead can also cause problems that are less life-threatening but can be just as devastating, like low IQ, hearing and language impairment, reduced attention span and poor school performance. In adults, exposure to lead can lead to an increased risk for high blood pressure. Pregnant women and their fetuses are extremely vulnerable to lead. In women, lead increases the risk of infertility and miscarriages; in fetuses, lead can cause low birth weight, premature birth and impaired mental and physical development.

Pollution continues to pose an enormous threat to residents of urban cities worldwide. In the August 2008 Monthly Update, it is stated that approximately 800,000 deaths each year can be attributed to outdoor air pollution, making pollution the single most harmful environmental hazard to human health in urban areas (Kallman). The fact that pollution kills hundreds of thousands of people each year alone portrays just how dangerous living in these conditions can be. Kallman writes about a study which proves an increase in upper respiratory diseases, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, and low birth weights when exposed to air pollutants (August 2008: Monthly Update). These can be very serious diseases and complications which, when contracted, can lead to death or very serious illnesses. There

Health officials agree that no amount of exposure to lead is safe, be it from water, the air, old paint, or dirt. Even the smallest of amounts can lead to irreversible cognitive and developmental damage, especially in younger children.

The improved screening and treatment of lead poisoning decreased the severity of symptoms usually seen. However, the level of lead in the blood does not establish what symptoms are seen, since lead in blood only establishes current exposure. Recently, studies have shown that a long exposure to low amounts of lead may have severe neurobehavioral effects that are not diagnosed until the child enters school (Singhal et. al., 1980).

* It can cause serious harmful problems effects on the body including: hearing, anemia, peripheral neuropathies, wrist/foot drop, encephalopathy, seizures, coma, and even death. It can also cause children to have lower IQ scores and behavioral issues.

(2014) used the Bayley Scales of Infant Development 2nd Edition, the Boston Naming Test, and the Delis-Kaplan Verbal Fluency Test to determine the effects of PCBs, methylmercury, and lead on infant mental and psychomotor development, along with IQ scores of young children. Descriptions of the assessments were not highlighted within the article and therefore made the assumption that the reader knew of the protocols and for simplicity sake, lacked information. With this missing section replication of the study is not possible without further inquiries about the assessment

Pregnant women who are exposed to high levels of lead will have some or all of these symptoms. The symptoms are increased blood pressure level, multiple mononeuropathy, headache, muscle pain, and anorexia, and the inability to control body movement. Also, they may feel a lack of energy and display disorders in both behavior and concentration. In some cases, these women have kidney diseases. All of these symptoms will become acute when the blood lead level increases(“Guidelines for the Identification and Management of Lead Exposure in Pregnant and Lactating Women,” 2010).The potential  health effects from a high blood lead level during pregnancy are losing babies, lower birth weight, premature birth, productivity problems and stillbirth (“Lead and your baby,”2016). Additionally, another symptom that occurs when infants are exposed to high levels of lead before they are born is  development a delay (“Lead Poisoning Symptoms,”2014). Also, the other symptoms and health effects that these babies will have after they are born are difficulty learning, and low intelligence quotient (IQ) levels. Some babies will display disorder in their behavior and difficulty hearing (“Pregnancy and Lead Poisoning Protect Yourself, Protect Your Baby,”

exposure (Ferron et al., 226-233). The symptoms of the lead poisoning may manifest in adults

(ii) Infant and child mortality from respiratory diseases caused by short-term exposure (Ostro 2004); and

Lead can affect humans’ health in various ways depending on the route of exposure. Humans can either breathe or swallow lead. Lead can affect every organ in the human body. Lead toxicity mainly effects the nervous system in adults and children. In adults’ long-term exposure can hinder performance in test for the nervous system. Lead toxicity can also cause weakness in fingers, wrists and ankles. In middle age adults and elderly adults, it can cause anemia. High levels of exposure can cause brain and kidney damage in adults and children. Pregnant women exposed to high levels of lead can experience a miscarriage. Men exposed to high levels of lead can have their organs responsible for sperm production damaged (CDC.gov,2017).

Health effects of air and water pollutants are major environmental issues that need to be better understood and controlled in the United States and globally. This issue is so important for many reasons, but for this discussion it is being identified to give a voice to the urgency to the world to pay attention to how our environment is failing into a catastrophic level of decline because of these types of pollutants. In order to overcome the pollutants there needs to be a call to action. We need to bring these things into check which means their levels are in need of being lower. “Pollution can occur from natural causes or from human activities. Discussions about the effects of air pollution have focused mainly on human health but attention is being directed to environmental quality and amenity as well” (Air and Water Pollution, 2015, p. 1).